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Easy Applesauce
Easy Applesauce
I previously posted a recipe for cranberry applesauce from a Thanksgiving/Chanukah meal we shared with family at Kal’s cabin in 2014.
That seems like so long ago! Today I have three mature apple trees that drop apples everywhere – all of which are still wonderful to use for cooking.
I thought I would share a formula for apple sauce that I’ve been using of late. I have committed this to memory and feel it is particularly good to make in the fall and early winter while farmers’ markets have lots of apples available. I find that less-than-perfect apples work well for sauce. Oh, and I have a new 6-month-old granddaughter who is just starting to eat solid foods. You better believe applesauce was one of her first gourmet delights, and I’m happy to report that her batch was not sweetened at all.
Easy Applesauce
Makes about 2+ quarts
Ingredients:
- 8-10 medium apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 8 pieces each (I peel mine with the potato peeler, then use a metal apple slicer to cut them into 8 pieces)
- 1 ¼ cup water
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- Pinch salt
- 2-3 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- IF you want colorful applesauce, add an unpeeled plum or a peeled peach, diced into ½ inch. These are abundant in Seattle in the late summer.
Instructions:
Put all these ingredients in the pressure cooker or Instapot. Stir to combine. Lock the lid in place and bring it to pressure, let it stay at full pressure for four minutes, then turn off the heat. Allow pressure to drop on its own, which takes up to 15 minutes.
Remove the lid of the pressure cooker and mash the apples (and added plum or peach) with a potato masher. This way, it’s a little chunky, which I prefer.
Store in jars in the fridge for up to 10 days, or freeze and use within six months.
