Autumn Applesauce Recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 lb apples, peeled, cored,and sliced or chopped
• 2 to 3 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup Metropolitan Market Fresh-Pressed Apple Cider or water
• 1/2 cup (or to taste) granulated sugar, brown sugar, or other sweetener
• 1/2 to 1 tsp ground cinnamon or 1 (4-inch) cinnamon stick (optional)
• Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Toss apples with lemon juice. Place in a large, heavy pot. Add cider, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Place over medium high heat, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes or until apples are tender. (Be careful! Applesauce splatters may be hot.) If sauce is too thin, continue to cook, uncovered, until reduced. Taste and add more sugar and cinnamon, as desired. Remove and discard cinnamon stick, if used.
2. Serve warm or transfer to a covered container and chill. Serve chunky or coarsely mash with a potato masher. For a smooth sauce, whirl cooked, cooled applesauce in a food processor.
3. Cook’s Tips:
4. Try other sweet spices in your applesauce - a pinch or two of nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, or cloves. For something different, try adding a star anise, freshly grated ginger, or a teaspoon of vanilla extract.
5. MICROWAVE COOKING: Reduce apple cider to 1/4 cup. Combine all ingredients in a microwave-safe container. Cover and cook on high for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring once or twice, until apples are tender. See step 2 above.
6. SLOW COOKER METHOD: Omit apple cider. Combine apples, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or until apples are tender. See step 2 above.