Apple Season is Here :: Homemade Apple Sauce

Hope you had a lovely weekend!  A. and I have been very lazy and have hardly left the couch... we finally got Tivo installed and it has completely sucked us in!  I thought the idea was that you can record shows while you're not home, well it's had the opposite effect on us.  I did make it away from the TV for a few hours yesterday to do a little work in the kitchen.  I cleaned all the cabinets, the fridge, moved pots and pans around, threw out old spices, and even created a cabinet of Fido jars to house all of our dry goods - flours, sugars, salts, herbs, and oats all in their own jar.  I love it...a little Fall cleaning was much in order!

I realized I had a big bowl of apples from last week's farmer's market.   I decided they had to be used up before we go apple picking in a couple of weeks and come back with more piles.  Get ready for apple season:  tarts, pies, upside down cakes, and of course: apple sauce!  So I decided to make apple sauce, mostly because I love it (...a little weird but I actually buy Gerber's all the time as an after dinner dessert), but also because I bought an immersion blender last week that was begging to be used!  :-)

Well, it came out delicious, and so easy.  No need for store-bought.  I also had a few Bartlett Pears around, so I threw them in as well... why not!   I stored it in mason jars and into the fridge they went.  You can also freeze it for months.  It's a perfect snack or a topping for savoury meats.  Our neighbors - M. & G. - invited us over for dinner tonight to help them get through a turkey breast they are roasting, and A. had the idea that we could top it w/apple sauce.  Perfect, no need to make gravy!  So that's what we'll be having for dinner tonight, I can't wait: yum! 

Enjoy!

APPLE SAUCE (adapted from Simply Recipes)

6 large cooking apples (granny smith, macintosh, golden delicious, golden crisps, fuji, etc)

2 pears (optional)

Juice of one lemon

Zest of 1/2 a lemon

1 Cinnamon Stick

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/8 cup white sugar

1 cup water

1/2 teaspoon salt

Peel and quarter the apples and pears.  Put all ingredients in a large pot over high heat.  bring to a boil, and then cover and simmer on low heat for 25 minutes.

Remove from the heat and remove the cinnamon stick.  For a smooth texture, puree the mixture with a hand blender or use a potato masher for a chunkier consistency.

Enjoy warm, or allow to cool for later.  

IDEAS:  For a twist, add a star anise will boiling, or even a tip of ginger.  You can also add raisins, craisins, or blueberries to serve.