Homemade applesauce

How to make applesauce .

One of the recipes that could not be missed on the blog is applesauce , one of those homemade and lifelong.

At the end of the summer the fruit trees of the town fill with pears, apples, plums, peaches … a lot of fruit that it is impossible to eat at once. The apple harvest in Autumn is the most numerous, which is why we usually prepare apple candy , compote or jams.

The solution is compotes and jams, traditional sweets to accompany a lot of desserts , a very tasty filling for many cakes and dumplings, some breakfast toast or a snack .

The way of preparation is very simple, you can use those apples that you like the most and it is still a healthy, nutritious, light and very economical recipe.

The applesauce can be stored in the refrigerator a few days and it is ideal for canning. And if we moderate the amount of sugar that we add, it is also a very healthy dessert.

I have seen countless ways to prepare compote, from the microwave fast, to some with a touch of oven. The one you are going to read on the blog is the classic recipe cooked on fire in a casserole .

It only needs a little cooking time, no more than half an hour and it leaves us a perfect dessert for young and old, with an unmistakable touch of caramelized sugar.

Without using much sugar it would also be a perfect accompaniment to many dishes made with pork or game meat, the duck does not even paint. Dare to prepare it, a simple recipe with a spectacular result, yummy.

Before starting with the compote. The apples

1. The first thing would be to choose the apples that we are going to use, as you will see in the photos from step to step, use some “feuchas” apples that my father gave me, they are small and with a small point of acidity.
2. It is a way to take advantage of everything that the field gives and turn it into something rich and rich. But the easiest option is to go to the supermarket or your trusted greengrocer.
3. Choose an apple that softens easily when cooked, perhaps a Golden or Reineta, they are the best for this recipe, they cook very quickly and remain very soft, melting easily.
4. We put in a saucepan or casserole (it depends on the amount of compote that we are going to prepare) the water, the sugar, the lemon drops and the skin of the orange.
5. The citrus peel will lightly flavor the compote giving it a subtle touch that combines perfectly with cinnamon and apple.
6. Bring to a boil over medium heat so that the sugar dissolves little by little and leave for a couple of minutes until syrup forms.
7. This should be almost syrup without it becoming caramel, it should be light because it will still cook more with apples.

Cooking the compote

1. We wash the apples, peel and core the apples. Do not throw away the skin because it contains pectin, this hydrate is contained in almost all fruits, but apples have it in high amounts.
2. Pectin is very soluble in water and binds with the sugar and acids in the fruit to form a gel.
3. So, if we add the skin of the apples to our compotes or homemade jams, what we achieve is to naturally thicken our preserves.
4. In this way we add less sugar and, what is very important, we reduce the cooking time, which means that our jam will keep the fruit flavor fresh.
5. Chop and add the apples to the casserole just when the syrup is done and it continues to bubble slightly.
6. We put the cinnamon stick or cinnamon powder and stir.
7. Add the skin of two apples on top, cover and cook over medium-low heat, until the apples turn brown and are soft (half an hour, more or less).
8. The time depends a little on the apple variety and the size of the pieces. 
9. We must be careful during cooking so that it does not dry out, we add water if necessary, we try and if we like it sweeter we can add more sugar.

Before serving, remove the skin of the apple, the orange and the cinnamon stick, stir to combine all the flavors.  We remove the fire and serve warm. 

You can see all the photos of the step by step in the next album.  

Tips for a yummy applesauce

• Remember that you can make this compote a base for a simple sweet, the apple candy that you like so much on the blog is a great option. If you like compote, you will like this dessert.
• Depending on what we are going to use it for, we can serve it in large pieces like the one in the photo or pass it through the mixer to obtain a texture similar to jam.
• Even in an intermediate texture, if you want it almost like a puree, just mash it with a fork. That is up to you, don’t worry, it will be just as delicious.
• Applesauce is an accompaniment full of possibilities, perfect in all kinds of desserts.
• But also for salty meat dishes such as roast chicken, game meat such as duck or a good Iberian sirloin, although I recommend that if you go with meat you reduce the amount of sugar to a third. Try these combinations and you will tell me.