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Homemade Applesauce
(Makes 5 cups)
Ingredients
- 5 pounds apples, preferably a mix of tart/sweet and green/red
- 1 cup apple cider
- 2 cinnamon sticks (3 inches each)
- 1 teaspoon whole allspice berries
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 3 to 6 tablespoons sugar or light brown sugar, to taste
- ¼ cup Calvados* or brandy (if desired)
Directions
- Peel green apples, and remove cores and seeds; cut each apple into 8 pieces.
- Core and remove seeds from red apples (do not peel red apples; cooking with peel will impart a beautiful rosy color to your applesauce), and cut each apple into 8 pieces.
- Place all apples in large, heavy saucepan, and add cider, cinnamon sticks, allspice, and nutmeg. Cover and bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Cook for 30 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook, covered and stirring frequently, until apples have completely broken down into thick sauce, about 30 minutes. Add sugar to taste, and the Calvados if desired, and cook for 10 minutes longer.
- Pass applesauce through a food mill or a coarse sieve to remove any remaining skins and solids (discard solids). Set sauce aside to cool, or enjoy warm. Store covered in refrigerator for up to 1 week.
*Calvados is an apple brandy from the French region of Lower Normandy.
Recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse, adapted from Emeril at the Grill, HarperCollins Publisher, New York, 2009, copyright MSLO Inc.
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