Rustic Applesauce

What better to start my recipe posts than with applesauce?

I call this Rustic Applesauce because I don’t take the time to peel apples!
Only for Thanksgiving pies.

Living in Wisconsin, I love that we enjoy four seasons – Fall is my favorite.  Red leaves, crisp air, and most importantly, full-on apple season!  I am kind of like the Forrest Gump of apples.  I’ve got my “apple guy” at the Dane County Farmer’s Market – we chit-chat about which varieties are in season, which are best for baking, eating, etc.  I can easily eat 3-4 apples a day.  If one keeps the DR away, well, then 3-4 can’t be all that bad.

As Winter approaches, I stock up on baking and sauce apples.  I like to have a few containers of applesauce in the fridge…for snacking, for adding to oatmeal or baked goods.

I used to make the mistake of just cooking the apples down – I didn’t want to go through the process of peeling, blending, etc.  But then, I bought a life-changing kitchen tool this past September:  The Cuisinart Smart Stick Hand Blender.  Hello real-deal applesauce!  I’ve had fun making applesauce for my 8-month old nephew – he’s a fan of the real-deal and it warms my heart to see him smack his lips at the taste of straight-from-the-orchard applesauce.

If you have some apples sitting in the fridge that need to be used up, try this – you won’t be disappointed.  And yes, that is steam coming out of that bowl – hot off the burner!

A delicious treat for using up the last of the Fall harvest.

Rustic Applesauce

Ingredients
*Apples – use what you have or at least 10 apples of any variety
*About 1/4-1/2 cup of water
*2 TBLSP cinnamon
*A dash each of ginger, nutmeg, and cloves

Process
1.  Wash, slice, core apples and add to a large soup/stock pot.
– you may want to peel the apples if you don’t have a stick blender or strong blender-
2.  Add water to pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and stir apples until they begin to soften.  At this point I usually pour out a little of the water.
3.  Add spices and continue to stir until apples are coated with spices.
4.  Heat for a few more minutes and then remove from heat.
5.  Let cool for about 5 minutes and then use your stick blender or put in a high-speed blender to blend until desired consistency.
6.  Store in airtight containers in the fridge.
7.  Enjoy!  

This tastes great on its own, re-heated in the micro and garnished with a handful of nuts and raisins, or stirred into warm oatmeal.