Boy was I wrong. Applesauce is really pretty easy to make. I tried last fall for the first time, and lo and behold it actually turned out. And it was really good, too.
Earlier this year in Bloomington I promised my friend Sneha, who is also an applesauce fan, that I'd teach her how to make it for herself. But then we moved away before I got the chance. So on this here blog I'm going to attempt that lesson.
And I'm using a version of Short Stop's recipe.
First you take some apples.
The recipe calls for 3 lbs, which I found to be equivalent to one of these two bags.
First, you peel, core, and slice the apples. Last year I did that with a good old fashioned knife. This year, with all of my many apple-related plans in mind, I sprang for this contraption:
I found it from Williams Sonoma and it works beautifully. Worth every bit of our $28.
The only other ingredients you need are simple: sugar and cinnamon. Oh, and water.
After you slice up the apples, put them in a big pan. Add two-thirds of a cup of sugar (could be more, could be less, depending on how sweet you like it). Add a tablespoon of cinnamon and a cup of water, and turn the stove on to a low heat setting.
Put the top on the pot, and let the apples simmer for awhile.
I checked mine after a half hour and they looked like this:
Not quite ready. See how the apple piece stays on the fork? That means it is not done enough.
So I let it simmer awhile longer. And then checked it again.
Much better.
At this point I could have just taken that pot, and mashed the apples manually with fork or whisk or potato masher. This makes for great applesauce - just on the chunky side. But I like smooth applesauce, so just poured the stuff into my blender.
A couple of seconds later, it looked like this:
MMM MMM good.
Lemme at it. I love it best when it is warm.
And this recipe makes a decent amount of applesauce. Besides my bowl, I got three containers out of it. One for the fridge, two for the freezer.
If you want to save your applesauce to eat later, it does really well in the freezer. It can be in there for months, and all you need to do if you want to break into it is let it thaw in a refrigerator for a day. Easy.
My first batch of applesauce this season didn't make it a week.
6 comments:
Witte! This is fabulous. I bought a giant bag of apples a couple of weeks ago and made applesauce with them, and then I made more applesauce with them, and then I bought more apples just so I could do it all over again. :) I like the chunks, though, so I enjoy the potato masher method. I also like no added sugar, though...the Fuji apples we get here are so sweet that they don't need it. I did add vanilla, allspice, and ground cloves to the first batch (along with the cinnamon, of course), which was pretty much amazing. ;)
Wow, Jess, I didn't know you enjoy apples so much :) I do like applesauce but not nearly as much as you do. Your blog makes me want to try making my own, though, and see how good it is.
Yum, Jessica. That looks delicious. Oh and I love the new fall header!
I love the picture of your enjoying your homemade applesauce!! :)
I have a ton of apples here. Gonna make some tomorrow!
Yum, that looks good. I have one of those apple peeling devices, my family makes a traditional german apple struesel and sausage breakfast every Christmas morning and so my mom gave us all one of those because we have to peel like 24 apples for the recipe. It makes it a lot easier! Anyway, can't wait to see you in a few days!
I love a Foley Food Mill for applesauce as it eliminates the need to peel and core the apples. I just quarter them, cook them until soft and mushy and run them through the mill. Add sugar and cinnamon to taste. You end us with a nice smooth applesauce and it is usually a pretty pink because you have cooked the apples with the skins on.
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