I was going to start today's post on one topic but now am totally focused on something else... I got my issue of Bon Appetit magazine today. I love getting it in the mail. I look at the cover and there seems to be endless possibilities...even though only one or two of the recipes per issue catch my eye and my taste buds. It has apple pie on the front and as I saw it I started thinking "oh no, I just put the apples in the pot for apple sauce!" but since I'm not in the mood for gluten free baking (which takes a whole lot more effort than regular baking) and I have to use this huge bag of apples from my parent's house before they go bad, we will have apple sauce.
This is my 2nd 8 - 10 pound bag of apples in 3 weeks from my parents. Last time it was all red delicious, now a mixture of red and golden delicious. Whenever I work with apples it brings up a very strong childhood memory. There used to be an apple orchard called Bell's in Barrington, IL by my grandparents house that made the most awesome apple squares, apple cider, and cider doughnuts. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. They tore it down to build huge homes around 15 years ago, but I still miss it. I would deal with the physical repercussions I have for eating gluten just to have some cider doughnuts or apple squares!
I think the most handy kitchen gadget I have in my house is my food mill, which is the best thing to use for apple sauce. Last year when I made apple sauce on my own for the first time I hesitated on buying it since costs around $45 and I really don't have any more space in my kitchen, but it was one of the best buys Ive made for cooking. It allows me to halve the apples, take off the stems, and then just throw them in the pot with their skin, seeds and rinds intact. By keeping these parts of the apple the natural pectin makes it more creamy (at least that is what everyone who has eaten it has told me).
The first recipe is the one I made today:
Apple Pie Apple Sauce
Adapted from The Family Kitchen
Ingredients
3 - 4 pounds of apples*
1/4 cup of real maple syrup
1/4 cup of dark brown sugar
2, 2 inch pieces of orange zest
juice of half an orange
4 cinnamon sticks, ground cinnamon to taste
1/2 teaspoon of allspice
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
Wash the apples and cut them in quarters, removing the stems. Place them into a large pot along with the other ingredients. Cover. Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes until apples are soft.
Remove from heat and take out the cinnamon sticks and orange peel. Place your food mill over a bowl. Ladle apples into the bowl and use the food mill to make the apple sauce. Add ground cinnamon to taste.
*I use whatever apples that I get from our trees, but the best to use are good cooking apples like golden delicious, granny smith, Macintosh, Fuji and Jonathan.
Food Mill Applesauce
Here is the recipe that I have made the last few times that I've made applesauce. My family loved it and the nice thing was that it freezes well.
Ingredients
3 - 4 pounds of apples
Juice of one lemon
4 cinnamon sticks, ground cinnamon to taste
1/4 cup of dark brown sugar
1/4 cup of white sugar
3/4 cup of water
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Wash the apples and cut them in quarters, removing the stems. Place them into a large pot along with the other ingredients. Cover. Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes until apples are soft.
Remove from heat and take out the cinnamon sticks. Place your food mill over a bowl. Ladle apples into the bowl and use the food mill to make the apple sauce. Add ground cinnamon to taste.
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