Old Fashioned Applesauce
We had a giant apple tree growing in our garden. Having a Dutch mother those apples came in quite handy - the Dutch love their apple cakes, apple tarts, and of course apple sauce. And, that’s the theme right here! Old fashioned from start to finish! We picked our apples right outside our home in Montreal - and went apple crazy. Part of my nostalgic memories as a little girls - puts a smile on my face. And, may I add that my first poem I ever wrote was about apples. If you know me well you’ll know I love poetry.
So, let’s get apple serious or shall I say apple healthy. Leaving the skins on the apples adds extra pectin to help thicken up your sauce (fiber rich). If you choose to use a food mill then your cooked apple pulp comes out smoothly and the food mill hold the apple skin back so you’re left with a silky smooth applesauce. That said, I like the texture of the skin or I might decide to peel the apples. Both ways are perfecto. Cooks choice!
Apples are also loaded with fiber (apple peels). Love that fiber for many reasons: lowers blood cholesterol levels, the polyphenols help to reduce blood pressure. Applesauce is low in calories, fat and salt - I never add salt to my applesauce. No need! The vitamins and minerals are plenty, too: B, C, E, potassium, magnesium, folate, iron, thiamine… and it can even soothe an upset stomach - although, without the peel. Eating applesauce to recover from an upset stomach make sure to keep it simple and don’t use the peel - too much fiber. After a fast (a.k.a. yom kipper) applesauce is a nice dish to enjoy and easy to digest.
mise en place - any apples are applesauce worthy
10 apples - macintosh, granny, etc…
1/4 - 1/2 cup water - depending how thick or thin you like your applesauce
1 tsp cinnamon and/or cinnamon stick
1 inch lemon peel rind
add 1/2 cup sugar if using tarty apples such as the Granny Smith
-chop apples - peel or leave peel on
-in a ppt bring water to a boil
-add apples, cinnamon and lemon rind to pot
-simmer on low heat for 20-30 minutes
-you can use a blender or immersion blender to puree your applesauce or use a food mill or potato masher
-enjoy warm (the way I like it) or cool in fridge.
-stays fresh for a week although won’t last long. It’s that good!
prepping for the chopped apples to create an delectable applesauce
Applesauce batch has peel, tarty Granny Smith calls for a sprinkle of sugar, added lemon rind and cinnamon - simple and profound
voila - applesauce ready to enjoy with a cinnamon stick in the center for a beautiful fall presentation
Genia’s Spoon Me Tips: If you are using Granny Smith apples you might want to add sugar as the Granny Smith apples are tarty and a little sweetness will be needed and appreciated. Sweet apples such as macintosh apples (my favorite) are sweet enough - no need to add sugar.
A food mill is a great kitchen gadget. My mother used a food mill for applesauce (great memories growing up) and it was perfect. Manual pureeing at its finest! Old fashioned, indeed! Vintage in the kitchen!
Wishing you all a sweet new year, sweet apples, sweet love, sweet life! XO Genia