Simple Applesauce

Name: Simple Applesauce
Yield: Serves 7 (Makes about 3 1/2 cups)
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 pounds, apples (8 to 12 medium), unpeeled, cored, and cut into rough 1 1/2-inch pieces; 1/4 cup, granulated sugar; Pinch, table salt; 1 cup, water; 2 tablespoons, unsalted butter - stir into finished sauce; 3 inch, cinnamon sticks (2) -- cook with apples and remove prior to pureeing; 1/4 teaspoon, ground cinnamon - stir into finished sauce; 1 cup, cranberries (fresh or frozen) - cook and puree with apples; 4 , whole cloves - cook with apples and remove prior to serving; 1 1/2 inch piece, fresh ginger, sliced into three pieces and smashed - cook with apples and remove prior to pureeing; 1 teaspoon, lemon zest - cook and puree with apples; 2 tablespoons, lemon juice - stir into finished sauce; 2/3 cup, Red Hot candy - cook and puree with apples; 2 pieces, star anise (whole) - cook with apples and remove prior to serving

70 comments

Appears in Cook's Illustrated September/October 2002, America's Test Kitchen TV

Choose the right apple, don't peel it, and add nothing more than sugar and water. It's that simple.

SERVES7 (Makes about 3 1/2 cups)

TIME30 minutes

has video

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

When we decided to develop an applesauce recipe, preserving the taste of fresh apples was paramount. First, we chose the right apple. We chose McIntosh for their colorful skins, their balanced sweet/tart flavor, and their tendency to break ...

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