It’s apple season! I don’t know about you but this time of year finds me craving apples, in all their forms: raw, baked, pureed and pie too. Applesauce is a dish that is so much better prepared at home. Although, sometimes the convenience of the store bought variety wins out over the time it takes to prepare. But now that I have found this recipe, inspired by one of Julia Child’s recipes by the way, I have no excuse to buy applesauce instead of making from scratch, ever again! The apples don’t even need peeling and there’s no added sugar either. That’s a plus, plus in my book. There’s one more added bonus – your house will be filled with a glorious cinnamon scent.

I like to have a little fun (to me) photographing the patterns in foods, and apples also lend themselves as incredible subjects.

The stars created when cutting apples laterally weren’t very prominent in these Fujis so I had some pattern creation fun.

To the recipe:

Applesauce

• 4 pounds of apples any combination, or all of one type, I used Fuji (since the skin is left on, I opted for organic) rinsed and cut into eighths, cut off the core and seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

Combine all the ingredients in a large heavy pot with 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally – adding more water if seeming to get dry – until apples are soft and falling apart, 35-45 minutes. Uncover and let cool slightly.

Put cooked apples into a food processor or blender and whir until smooth. If it seems too dry, a bit of water can be added at this point as well.

There you go, ready to be enjoyed!

I like it warm or cool and accompanied by meats, fish or oatmeal, even ice cream. It’s also great on Greek yogurt for breakfast.

Enjoy ~

Susan