Metro Parent’s November issue highlighted some of our favorite family recipes with you. We served up the details on our marvelous mini quiches, crazy good corn chowder, sinful French silk pie and perfect holiday sugar cookies. Here, Metro Parent’s contributing writer Jennifer Lovy shares her family’s awesome applesauce recipe – and the story behind it.
The story
I remember growing up what a wonderful cook my grandmother was. Everything she made was delicious. At all the family get-togethers she always made applesauce. It was one dish that could be made ahead of time and even gets better the longer it sits. In November 1985, my grandmother passed away the week of Thanksgiving – leaving us one more holiday to enjoy her applesauce. As a tribute to her we use her applesauce recipe every Thanksgiving and talk about her with our kids. The secret to this dish, that makes it the most delicious applesauce, is that it is made with a variety of apples rather than one kind of apples; the greater the variety, the better. Apples can include Granny Smith, Gala, Fuji, Pink Lady, Envy or any other available or preferred kind.
Ingredients
- Apples
- Sugar
- Water
- Cinnamon (optional)
- An orange (optional)
Directions
- Wash apples and take the stems off. There is no need to peel the apples or to even take out the seeds.
- Cut the apples in uniform size chunks and place in large pot. Add about 3 Tbsp. of water so that apples won’t scorch as they cook.
- Cover and simmer on low heat until the apples are very soft.
- Cool slightly.
- Place a food mill over a container and put some apple mixture in mill. Begin turning handle around until the only thing remaining in the mill is the skin and seeds. Continue until all apple mixture and juice is gone.
- Stir in sugar to desired sweetness. Cinnamon is optional. Also, you can place sliced oranges over the entire top.
- We serve this applesauce with the orange slices, but the kids often fight over who gets the to eat the orange slices covered in applesauce.
