Name: Applesauce
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: US & Canada
Ingredients: 3 pounds McIntosh apples , peeled and cored, peels and cores reserved; 1½ cups water; ¼ cup sugar , plus extra to taste; Pinch salt; Pinch ground cinnamon

Why This Recipe Works

Apple peels and cores contribute color and flavor to applesauce, but processing that kind of sauce usually requires a food mill. We wanted a fresh, clean-tasting, attractive sauce that wasn't marred by seeds and bits of skin, and we wanted to make it without specialty equipment. We chose McIntosh apples for their colorful skins, their balanced sweet/tart flavor, and their tendency to break down readily. We peeled and cored the apples and then cooked the peels and cores with a cup of water, mashing them occasionally to coax out their flavors and pigments. We then cooked the quartered apples in a separate saucepan with a small amount of water and sugar and a pinch of salt. We mashed the cooked apples, strained the pulpy peel-and-core mixture over the mashed apple mixture, and then stirred it all together. Enjoy the straightforward apple flavor of this sauce as is or add a pinch of cinnamon for a lightly spiced version.

Before You Begin

We like the tart flavor of McIntosh apples in this recipe, but nearly any variety of apple can be substituted, except for Red or Golden Delicious. You may mash this applesauce until it's smooth or leave it chunky for a more rustic effect. If you have a food mill, we suggest preparing our Simple Applesauce.

Instructions

Bring reserved peels and cores and 1 cup water to boil in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook, mashing occasionally with potato masher, until mixture is deep pink and cores have broken down, about 15 minutes.

While peels and cores cook, cut apples into quarters and place in large saucepan. Add sugar; salt; cinnamon, if using; and remaining ½ cup water and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally with rubber spatula, until all apples are soft and about half are completely broken down, about 15 minutes. Using potato masher, mash apples to desired consistency.

Transfer peel-and-core mixture to fine-mesh strainer set over saucepan of mashed apple mixture. Using rubber spatula, stir and press peel-and-core mixture to extract pulp; discard solids. Stir to combine. Sweeten with extra sugar to taste. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled. (Applesauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.)