Apple Sauce with Brandy

It has been a crazy week, what with me starting a new and amazing job and all it has been hard to get home in time to make a new meal and post it. I have fallen behind and have been a little uninspired as of late. However, with the inspiration from my friend at evolutionaryfoodie.wordpress.com I have decided to also share my apple sauce recipe.

This recipe works well with the winter holidays and is delicious served warm straight off of the stove. Or you could let it sit in the refrigerator and let the flavors settle and serve it cold. Either way, this simple and delicious treat is easy to make.

The Recipe

Ingredients

• 8 assorted apples (i.e., Rome, McIntosh, Royal Gala, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, and Red Delicious)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup fresh apple cider
• 2 Tbsp. brandy or rum
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick (3 inches long)

Preparation

1. Peel (only peel if you do not want a chunkier apple sauce), core and cut the apples into large chunks, tossing them with the lemon juice to prevent discoloration.
2. Place the apples and remaining ingredients in a large, heavy pot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover partially and cook until apples are very tender, about 15 minutes. Uncover the pot and cook 5 minutes more.
3. Remove the pot from the heat and discard the cinnamon stick. Coarsely mash the apples with the cooking juices (or blend apples in a food processor or blender if the skins are still on). I used a blender and it worked just fine. Make sure to have enough liquid in the blender as to not damage your equipment. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate, covered, until ready to use, up to 5 days. 

For this recipe, I used 3 Organic Piñata apples, 3 Organic Golden Delicious and 2 Organic Gala apples. Being from Wisconsin, I have a soft spot for Brandy Old Fashioned so my first choice is brandy, but rum also tastes great with this recipe. This is also something that you can play around with. Try changing out the apples I like my apple sauce a little sweeter, so I choose my apples accordingly (or just go with whatever is on sale, though it isn't always the best choice).

Play around and enjoy your food!

Until next time...

Happy Snacking!