Applesauce-a-palooza

Applesauce with savory apple stuffed porkchop (up next)

 

Thanks to a generous gift, from Elizabeth Monroe, of fresh picked apples, the house smells wonderful this morning. I am attempting to make applesauce for the first time on over a decade (okay, two, or three).

Apples sliced and prepped

 

So my usual method when making something unfamiliar is to look at several recipes and tweak out the common factors. And since most recipes have given the quantity of apples in weight and I have no idea what these 12 gold rush apples weigh, I am going to eyeball it.

I peeled and cored each apple, and cut them into wedges, and then placed them in a heavy pot with liquid. Most recipes I found called for water, but I substituted apple cider. Then I put in about 1/4 c. each of brown sugar and white sugar and stirred. I added a little salt, maybe 1/2 tsp. Because I wanted to retain some of the tartness, but I had no lemons on hand, I added a splash of Limoncello. I don't like too much cinnamon in my applesauce, but I added about a tsp.  You could throw in a cinnamon stick while cooking, and then remove it at the end.

Mash to desired consistency, the sauce will get a little thicker as it cools

Apple Sauce

10 to 12 large tart/crisp apples, peeled, cored and sliced
2 cups apple cider (or enough to cover the bottom of your pot and add a little buoyancy to the slices, keeping them from sticking) You can add more if needed while cooking
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 c. or so of brown sugar
1/4 c. or so of white sugar (taste and adjust along the way)
A splash of limoncello (maybe 2 Tbl. or so)

I cooked this mixture for about 20 to 30 minutes, and then mashed them roughly with a potato masher. The mixture came out on the less sweet side, but you could adjust to suit your tastes. Keep an eye on the texture, and make sure it is not drying out and sticking or burning on the bottom of your pot.

I am going to put this all in smaller plastic containers and either refridgerate or freeze them.