Home Style Applesauce

Apples are one of my very favorite fruits. Every fall I get so excited that I go straight to the orchard in September once Cortland apples are ready, pick more than I can eat, and then come winter I have these soft apples in my crisper that aren't really good for eating fresh or most baking anymore. But one simple, delicious thing you CAN still make out of them is applesauce. This is something my mom would make intermittently throughout the winter for a snack or dessert, though you could serve it on the side of some kinds of meat dishes (pork is a pretty common choice). It was especially nice when we were craving apple pie but weren't quite up to the work and had apples to use up. This is yet another instance where no store bought version can really compare.

The recipe has 3 ingredients -- most any kind of cooking/baking apple, water, and sugar -- and easily scales to the number of apples you have. Cortland is my favorite variety to use, though I've used Regent, Macoun, Northern Spy, and Macintosh apples in recent memory with good results. I do not recommend Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, or Gala apples, or any really crisp/firm variety.

Important Note: Please do not use Red Delicious apples for this or anything you actually want to enjoy eating. As far as I'm concerned, Red Delicious apples are not food. They were bred to look good and that's about it. Personal tastes aside, they don't really break down in the way that most other apples would when they cook -- they get mealy and grainy, which is not a pleasant texture for applesauce.

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RECIPE:

Home Style Applesauce
serves 4

6-7 medium-large baking apples
2 tbsp granulated sugar, or to taste
1/3 cup water, possibly more depending on preference
Ground cinnamon (optional), for finishing

Peel, core, and slice your apples into a heavy bottomed pot. Add sugar and water (if you need more than 1/3 cup, make sure it's just enough to boil to get the apples cooking on the bottom). Put on medium-high heat. When it boils and steam starts to come up, turn heat to low and cover the pot. Uncover and stir every few minutes to move the uncooked apples on the top toward the heat and to help break down the ones cooking toward the bottom. If it gets too thick and you're worried about it burning, add a little more water. After it's mostly cooked, taste it for sweetness. Add a little more sugar if you think it's not sweet enough. It is done when all the apples are cooked through (you should be able to cut the bigger pieces with a spoon with almost no effort) and the texture is to your liking. It usually takes about 15-20 minutes for me and I like it mostly broken down with some larger pieces still intact. If you like cinnamon, sprinkle it on the hot applesauce just before you eat it. Get you some Penzey's Vietnamese cinnamon for a real treat.

If you need to store it long term, it can be frozen in a plastic bag for up to a year. Just thaw and serve it hot.