So we are officially in “Back to School” mode and again it is all about what to pack for lunch? In my haste to sample fall’s first apples, I ended up with some slightly sour Paula Reds, so I decided to sweeten the apples up in the form of applesauce.
Lo and behold, my most particular eater smiled and thought the idea was grand. When she sampled the sauce, she replied that she loved the taste but did not “exactly like the texture.” Clearly, this falls under the “it must be rough to have a food writer for a mother” clause.
Of course, I pulled out my immersion blender and produced a fantastically flavored, chunk-free applesauce. Vincenzo is crazy for it; Maverick does “not do applesauce;” Marco wanted to know when we were having pork chops?
Lunchbox Applesauce
Take advantage of apple season while flavor is at its peak and prices are low. Applesauce can becanned for shelf storage or frozen for up to eight months.
9 MacIntosh or Paula Red apples, peeled, seeded and quartered
1/4 cup sugar (add a bit more or less to suit your tastes)
1/2 cup apple juice, apple cider or water
1 cinnamon stick
pinch of kosher salt
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1. Add all of the ingredients to a heavy bottomed soup pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until all of the apples are soft.
2. Turn off heat and remove the cinnamon stick. Puree sauce with the immersion blender until smooth. Let applesauce cool to room temperature, divided into individual serving cups and refrigerate until needed.
Cook’s Note: If chunky, home-style applesauce is your thing, skip the immersion blender step 🙂
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