When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. But when life gives you apples, well then, make applesauce.
My daughter Gillian and her husband Jesse and two kids, Lila and Remy, went apple picking and brought us more apples (and pears) that we could possibly eat.
SO, to go with our festive Rosh Hashanah dinner tonight, I made some applesauce. Or, should I say, apple-pear-apricot sauce. I remember apple-apricot sauce from when I was a youngster. Beech Nut baby food. The stuff was so good I (and my brother Jeff) ate it well into teenagedom and maybe even beyond. But, like so many food products it changed over the years and we both noticed and stopped eating it. Besides, those little jars were way too small for a grown up.
So I make my own.
I really hate to give a recipe for applesauce. It’s really just a matter of peeling, coring and cutting apples and cooking them over low heat in a covered pan. Add some pears if you wish. And dried fruit such as apricots. Depending on the kind of apples, you may or may not need sugar (or some other sweetener) or water (or juice). You could add cinnamon or some other seasoning or not. Cook until soft, mash or puree and you’re done.
Here’s how I made the one in the photo:
Apple-Apricot Sauce with Honey
3 pounds apples
2 pears
1 packed cup dried apricot halves
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Peel, core and slice the apples and pears. Place them in a pot with the apricots and water. Cover the pan. Turn the heat to low. Cook for about 25 minutes or until the fruit is soft. Add honey and cinnamon. Mash or puree (I used a hand blender).
Makes about 8-10 servings