My grandmother taught me to make applesauce. Homemade applesauce was a staple for her, something she always seemed to have on hand, and as a child I was spoiled by it. Store-bought applesauce has always been a poor substitute, so watery, anemic and bland in comparison to the tart, rosy-pink sauce she made, spiced with cinnamon and best served warm from the pot.
When you see how easy it is to make your own applesauce, you’ll never buy another jar. It does take about an hour to simmer, but most of that time is completely hands-off. There is the matter of the food mill – which, if it’s not already standard equipment in your kitchen, it should be. You can use a food mill for pureeing soups, and making tomato sauce from fresh tomatoes, but even if the only thing you make with it is applesauce, it’s worth having one.
You’re not going to peel the apples before you cook them for this sauce. Not only does this make the whole process a lot easier, but the skins are actually essential for achieving the deep pink color that makes this sauce as beautiful as it is delicious.
I like the tart flavor of McIntosh apples so I use mostly Macs, but since Macs tend to have greenish skin I always throw in a couple of apples of another variety with a really nice dark red skin. For this batch I found some native Cameo apples at the farm stand, with skin of wine-red bordering on purple.
Using apples of different varieties will likely mean that some apples in the pot will be softer than others; cut the harder ones into smaller pieces so they’ll soften faster and keep pace with the others as the applesauce cooks.
Once the apples have broken down in the pot, process them through the food mill to form a thick puree. Then, add as much or as little sugar as you like. I like my sauce tart, so I add what amounts to about 1/2 tablespoon per cup, which really lets the flavor of the apples take center stage. I don’t actually measure, I just toss in a small handful and taste to see if it’s enough, and it usually is. On the other hand, I’m generous with the cinnamon (also eyeballed rather than measured) – follow your own tastes there, too.
Making applesauce ahead, and what to do with it:
- Applesauce will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator, and freezes beautifully. This recipe makes a lot (6 cups) — plenty for now and plenty to freeze for later.
- Serve it as a side at lunch or breakfast in place of a piece of fresh fruit. It’s also a perfect condiment for roast pork – John won’t eat pork (roast, tenderloin, or chops) without a little applesauce on the side.
- Applesauce makes a nice, simple, not-too-sweet dessert, too. Sprinkle a little extra cinnamon on top of each serving to dress it up.
Applesauce
Ingredients
- 5 pounds of apples (any variety, but preferably including some with dark red skins for color)
- Apple cider or apple juice
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar (or to taste)
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon (or to taste)
Directions
- Step 1 Core the apples but do not peel them. Cut them into quarters. If some of the apples are a crisper variety than others, cut each piece of the harder ones in half again. Put the apples into a large pot or Dutch oven with a lid, and pour in enough cider or apple juice to cover the bottom of the pot by about an inch.
- Step 2 Heat the pot over medium high heat until the cider comes to a gentle boil. Lower the heat to medium low and partially cover the pot. Simmer, partially covered, stirring the apples every 10 or 15 minutes, to move the lesser-cooked apples from the top down to the bottom so that all the apples cook evenly. When the mixture starts to look thick and you don’t see any liquid at the bottom of the pot, add a little more cider, just enough to keep the applesauce from sticking to the pot, but not enough to make it soupy. Cook until the apples are completely broken down and soft, 40 to 60 minutes depending on the type of apples.
- Step 3 Remove the pot from the heat. If your food mill has interchangeable disks with different sized holes, insert the disk with the larger holes. Set the food mill over a large bowl. Ladle some of the apples into the food mill and process them through. Continue processing until all the apples are pureed. Discard the skins left behind in the mill.
- Step 4 Stir the brown sugar and cinnamon into the apple puree. Taste and add more sugar and/or cinnamon to your liking.
- Step 5 Enjoy the applesauce warm, or let it cool for storing. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
