Totally {Apple}Sauced

Posted on October 13th, 2015

If you didn’t go to an apple orchard during the fall, did fall really even happen?

You go for the photos.

You go for the food, and to find your perfect pumpkin.

But a funny thing happens when you’re at an apple orchard.  And before you know it, you’re leaving with 40 apples.  Each.

If you’re not looking to go on an all apple-and-peanut-butter diet between now and Thanksgiving, may I suggest homemade applesauce?

Homemade applesauce is a perfect dish for me: sounds impressive, but isn’t at all– albeit a little high maintenance.  I can relate.  My mama has been making homemade applesauce for years, so nothing says home to me like the cinnamon-y smell of applesauce on the stove in the fall.

The recipe itself is flexible, but goes a little something like this:

Ingredients

~8-10 apples

~1 tablespoon of cinnamon

~2 tablespoons of brown sugar

~1/2 a cup of water

Dash of pumpkin pie spice

Notice every ingredient is listed with a tilde– applesauce is an art, not a science.  Your preparation will vary based on the type, size, and sweetness of apples you use.  But it’s foolproof!

Peel your apples and remove the cores.  I usually peel them about 3/4 of the way because I like the texture of some peel, and I chop them into quarters.

Chuck everything into a big pot.  Confession: I splurged.  When I was home for a wedding earlier this month, I got majorly envious of my mom’s Staub pumpkin cocotte.  Ian and I were at Sur La Table on Sunday morning… the sun was shining on Elliot Bay, it was a perfect 61 degree fall morning, and I just couldn’t leave without it.  Three hours later it had applesauce in it, simmering away on the stove.  I made soup in it last night, and it’s the centerpiece of our fall tablescape.

Anyway.  Back to the food.  I keep my stove on l0w-medium (about a 4) and stir the apples every ~20 minutes, but the applesauce can take as much as two hours to cook down.  Don’t start this right before you leave the house!  If it seems like the apples are burning, add more water.  And feel free to have a heavy hand with the cinnamon!

The finished product is just so homey and good.  I love it most hot right off the stove over a small scoop of vanilla or cinnamon ice cream.  Total autumnal nirvana.

Enjoy!