Well, they say all good things must come to an end, and I’ve officially scraped the bottom of my Arkansas Black Apple barrel (actually, it was a bag, but wouldn’t a barrel of apples be wonderfully festive?). Round 1 of apple baking included my time-tested and Jared-approved apple pie recipe, which didn’t disappoint. But for round 2, it was time to think outside the box (or jar, in this case) and try something new. When I first laid eyes on these crazy little guys a few weeks ago, I pledged to give applesauce a whirl. And whirl it I did.
I’ve never made applesauce before, so I did some lengthy recipe searching before trying anything out (my mother-in-law sent a few recipes, too, which both looked pretty delish). To be honest, I was having a hard time deciding which one to use, so I ended up mixing a few that sounded the best. I don’t typically go all recipe-rogue the first time out of the gate, but I was making this on Saturday night during the MU-Oklahoma game, so I was feeling pretty lucky (woo hoo, Tigers!).
The whole thing took about an hour and 15 minutes from start to finish (all that coring and peeling takes me forever). But what’s an hour compared with a double batch of homemade applesauce? Sure, a trip to the store and back for a jar of good ol’ Motts would only take about 20 minutes, but the jarred stuff just isn’t as special (unless you’re my sister in her applesauce-loving phase of yesteryear; I’ve never seen a 7-year-old with such a yen for smooshed fruit).
Overall, I was pretty happy with the end result, and I’ll definitely make it again. Before trying this recipe on for size, though, keep in mind that it’s pretty dessert-y. With all that brown sugar, I wouldn’t call it a healthy snack alternative, but in the dessert realm it’s a good choice. Or if you want to go Brady Bunch-style with pork chops and applesauce (go ahead and do your best Peter Brady impression; you know you want to!), this would be perfect for that.
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• 12 – 15 tart apples, peeled and chopped (I used the last of my Arkansas Black, but I bet Granny Smith would work nicely, too)
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/3 water
Put chopped apples in a Dutch oven or saucepan.
Add brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and water. Stir to combine.
Simmer on medium-low heat for 40 minutes or until apples are tender. Mash with potato masher or fork, then prepare yourself for cinnamon apple deliciousness.
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Jared and I both gave the applesauce a try straight from the saucepan and later once it had chilled (don’t forget to stick your leftovers in the refrigerator). Both were sweet and delicious, though I probably prefer it cold, and Jared prefers it hot. If sweet applesauce isn’t your thing, you could easily cut back the brown sugar (and maybe the vanilla, too) for an equally yummy result. If you go that route, let me know how it turns out!
And as long as we’re in cooking talks, what are you planning to make this weekend? Does your menu include anything particularly fall? Or maybe something spooky for Halloween? I’ve got some Martha Stewart ghost candies on my mind, so here’s hoping they’re as easy peasy as she promises.
XO,
Katrina
A special thanks goes out to the growers of our apples: We’ve definitely enjoyed the fruits of your labor!
Katrina!
Your blog is -amazing-. Pictures of food make my mouth water…
If you’re looking for a fancy presentation for apple sauce — if I’m remembering correctly, Julia Child has an ‘apple snow’ recipe that involves folding in stiffly-whipped egg whites into apple sauce and then topping with a (large — this is JC, after all) dollop of cream. I think a drizzle of caramel sauce is also involved.
If you and Jared are planning to be in Europe anytime soon, do stop by London for a visit!
Peace,
-Chris Adams
Thanks, Chris! The “apple snow” sounds great! Of course, everything is better with a dollop of cream, right? We’ve been talking about cooking our way through a Julia Child cookbook — now you’ve pushed us over the edge! 🙂
Hope all is well in your neck of the woods (the woods across ye pond, that is). Happy belated birthday!!!
Yum! This sounds really good!
My recipes for the weekend include a 7 layer dip with a spider web on top, a cat litter cake, cute little peanut butter pumpkins, eerie green empinadas, and bat wings! Can’t wait to see how everything turns out. All my prep was last night. I just get to assemble and cook today!
Wowie kazowie! You are way ahead of me! I just saw your peanut butter pumpkins on Facebook, and they are adorable!! The prep work is always the hardest part, so it sounds like you get to have tons o’ fun today! Happy Halloween!
We’re doing homemade omelets for the first time ever tonight! We’re pretty excited.
Tomorrow is basic spaghetti but fancified with bruschetta as a side.
Yum! Hope the omelets turned out great! We did an omelet extravaganza for New Year’s morning last year and used this Paula Deen idea — http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/omelette-for-a-crowd-recipe2/index.html . It sounds crazy, but it really worked, and we had finished omelets for six people all at the same time.
Have a great Halloween!
Hey, Katrina – we’re the “apple growers” and your Dad (fellow soccer parent) told us about your website! We’re enjoying reading about your cooking escapades! We live on a farm and have apples, cherries, strawberries and LOTS of wild blackberries growing, and an herb garden. We’re always happy to share our “wares”, so let us know if we can help again with your ingredients.
P.S. – we have picked at least 25 large Walmart sacks of apples off that Arkansas Black apple tree this year, and there are still some left on the tree! Good year for apples! Happy cooking!
Chuck and Susan Hensley
Thanks so much for reading! And thanks again for the wonderful apples! Twenty-five bags off one tree? That’s amazing!!! It must be so fun to have all that great fresh produce. Lots of hard work, I’m sure, but you just can’t beat the taste of something you’ve grown yourself. Come to think of it, a wild blackberry cobbler does sound mighty delicious. 🙂