How to Make Fresh Applesauce

Applesauce is a perfect complement to a pork dinner. I always have a pork tenderloin on hand in my fridge for a quick weeknight dinner.

A pork tenderloin roasts in about 20 minutes and if you buy one of the marinated options there is absolutely no prep time required. That can be a real lifesaver when you are running behind and need to get dinner on the table.

One of the ways to make your pork tenderloin dinners your own is to serve them with homemade applesauce.

A Homemade Applesauce Recipe

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Homemade Applesauce

Homemade applesauce tastes so much better than any jarred sauce you will purchase and takes so little time to make that you will never buy applesauce again.

September and October are the best times of year to make your own fresh applesauce as so many delicious apples come to market.

You can have the applesauce cooking on the stove in about five minutes and it will be ready when the pork tenderloin is ready to serve.

This is a five-ingredient recipe. How easy is that? Just use this recipe as a starting point and adjust the salt, sugar, and cinnamon until the applesauce is perfect for your tastes.

I like to use an apple variety that cooks down easily like McIntosh or Cortland, but you can use any variety you like. Choose any variety that looks and smells the most enticing. Mixing different kinds of apples is also yummy. You'll also want to use good-quality cinnamon because cinnamon and apples are the costars in this recipe.

I like to peel the apples for my applesauce. I don't use a fancy apple peeler. I just use my favorite vegetable peeler. I actually like peeling apples and can usually peel an apple with one long ribbon of the peel. Don't be too fussy with the peeling. Leaving a few stray pieces of the peel in the applesauce will add to the color of the final product.

The tools you'll use to make your applesauce are very low-tech. All you need is a sharp vegetable peeler, a sharp paring knife, and an old-fashioned potato masher. You probably have these already in your kitchen.

Donna's Homemade Applesauce

Applesauce Ingredients

Printer Friendly Recipe
Serves 4

4-5 medium apples, Cortland or McIntosh, peeled and chunked
1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
A pinch of fresh nutmeg
2-4 tablespoons granulated sugar
2-4 tablespoons water

Directions
Taste your apples to assess how sweet they are.

Decide how much sugar you think you need. I always start with less sugar because I like my applesauce to have a little tartness. Mix the apples, salt, sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon together in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the water. Two tablespoons are usually enough.

Cover the pot and let the mixture come to a boil. Turn the heat down to simmer. Cook the mixture for 10 to 15 minutes, until the apples start to collapse.

Remove the pot from the heat. Using a potato masher, mash the apples until you get the consistency you want.

Mash the Apples

I like to leave some chunks in my applesauce. Taste your applesauce and add more sugar or cinnamon as needed.

Chunky Homemade Applesauce

Serve your homemade applesauce warm or chilled. Make extra applesauce and mix it with your favorite plain yogurt or serve it on top of your morning oatmeal. It's also delicious when served warm with vanilla ice cream. Yum!

Essential Kitchen Tools

OXO Vegetable Peeler
4-inch Paring Knife
A potato masher

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Enjoy!

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