Applesauce

Apple Sauce is maybe one of the easiest things you can learn to make, and trust me, it tastes a million times better homemade than it does store bought.  Of course, when it comes to applesauce there are a million different ways to make it - cinnamon? sugar? lemon? butter?  Do you want a sweet treat or a sauce for a savoury dish?

Well, it all starts with a basic recipe. Here's what I made today, but keep in mind since this is one of those 'season to taste' dishes, it easily scales up.

Applesauce
5 red delicious apples
1 T brown sugar
1 t cinammon

1. Wash, peel, slice (quarter) and core apples.
2. Place apple in a large sauce pan and cover with water.
3. Bring to boil, simmer on med-high ~20 minutes, or until soft (test with a fork).
4. Drain apples and spoon into food processor.
5. Add brown sugar and cinnamon, whiz until smooth.

5 apples will make you around 1 1/2 cups of apple sauce. I highly recommend making a bigger batch, because fresh applesauce is one of the most delicious things in the world. However, I bought a bag of 99c/kg red delicious apples and ended up using all I had left for this batch.

This is the most basic recipe. You can switch out the apples (although I really do think any variety of red apples is best, but it depends on what's local, what's in season, and what you like).  Adding fresh squeezed lemon juice makes it a little tart, and you can add more sugar to adjust to your preferred level of sweetness. Ginger is a delicious additive to your apple sauce. 

If you have a food mill (who does!) you can skip peeling and coring the apples before you simmer them, when you process them through the food mill, you end up with a beautiful pink colour and it also keeps more of the nutrients since they live just under the skin.