I actually timed how long it took me to prep to make applesauce – less than 10 minutes total. That includes peeling, coring, and chopping 5 apples. What’s my point? It really doesn’t take that long to make stuff from scratch. OK – I know there is a little bit of cooking involved, but once the chopped apples are on the stove, you really have to check them only a few times to make sure they aren’t scorching. Here’s the other thing – when you make your own applesauce, you can put totally random things in it, like star anise and boiled cider. You can make it sugar free or super sweet. You can make it chunky or smooth! I think you see where I’m going with this.

On another note: I have a thing against cinnamon. I am just not a fan, especially of the apple-cinnamon combo. I think cinnamon takes away from the flavor of the apples. I like a spice that is a little more subtle; one that doesn’t hit you over the head with its spiciness. I have two go-to spices of late – star anise and cardamom. I like to use them as substitutes for cinnamon or as a little unexpected addition to something, as in the top of the Sally Lunn. In the case of this applesauce, I snuck both spices in. You might choose to just use one or the other, or maybe you don’t have the extreme aversion to cinnamon that I do. That’s the beauty of applesauce – it’s pretty flexible. Who knew that applesauce could be interesting – right?  I had boiled cider left over from my apple pie with boiled cider experiment (and guess what? I found out that boiled cider lasts a loooong time in the fridge!) so I figured I’d throw it in instead of sugar, but feel free to go sugarless or add a tablespoon or two of sugar (this will depend on how sweet your apples are).

Apples ready for applesauce

Ingredients:

5-6 medium apples (I used a combination of pink ladies, fujis, and honeycrisps, but feel free to experiment with other varieties), peeled, cored, and chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons boiled cider (optional)
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
3 tablespoons water
1 pod star anise (optional)
1 pod cardamom (optional)

Procedure:

1. Combine the chopped apples, boiled cider, lemon juice, and water in a medium heavy saucepan.
2. Toss in the star anise and cardamom pods.
3. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat, then immediately turn down to low.
4. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes or longer, or until the apples have broken down to the consistency you desire.
5. I ate my applesauce with the leftover Sally Lunn. (Have you noticed that I really, really like saying “Sally Lunn”?)