Applesauce is a big thing around here in the fall. I make it at least a couple of times almost every year, a habit I inherited from my mom, who also used to make it when I was growing up. In fact, one of the very first gifts I received from my mom on becoming engaged many years ago was a garage-sale find, a cone-shaped food sieve (officially called a “chinois”) for making applesauce. We’ve always called it the “witch’s hat,” and we have never used it to make anything but applesauce. And then there’s my dad’s famous applesauce, a vat of which has become a fixture at the annual latke (potato pancakes) party they attend. At this point, that applesauce has a reputation all its own. People ask him about it all year round!
This year my kids and their friends joined the act. On my arrival home one recent weekend evening, I discovered them racing around the kitchen, hauling out the big pot, slicing, dicing, measuring, calling out instructions, setting up the witch’s hat, and just generally enjoying the process. They made it their own by deciding to add butter to the recipe. It made me so happy to see them making their own version of applesauce.
For what it’s worth, I’ve always felt that the best applesauce is made with a combination of different kinds of apples. So even if that little Macintosh in the corner of the bin is somewhat on the dry and wrinkly side, it’s worth adding if you haven’t got any other Macintoshes in the mix.
This recipe is the easiest of all. It makes your house smell like a home, and it works perfectly for those without a witch’s hat. The only thing that would make it easier would be to skip the lemon, cinnamon and vanilla. Which you could do and still have the most sublimely delicious applesauce. So feel free to experiment. It would be nearly impossible to go wrong.
- 6 large apples, washed, skinned, cored and quartered
- juice of 1 lemon (remove the seeds)
- 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 6 Tbsp. water
Place apples in crockpot. Add lemon juice and water. Mix in the cinnamon and vanilla.
Cover, set to low, and cook for 4-6 hours. Once apples have become very tender, mash with potato masher or large fork. Eat warm, or refrigerate for later, or freeze on the diagonal (fill jars no more than ⅔ full) for much later. Sprinkle with more cinnamon prior to eating, if you’d like.
This recipe is designed to serve 6, though it’s easily increased. Thank you to crockpot365.blogspot.com for such a dynamite recipe idea.