oven applesauce

Amys Gluten Free Pantry

My son and I have a habit of watching the cooking channel together. He salivates and tells me what he likes to eat and I take notes. A few nights ago, we watched The Barefoot Contessa, otherwise known as Ina Garten, make oven applesauce. I have my grandmother’s apple sauce funnel mill that might be the oldest kitchen tool I own. I love it’s thick wood paddle and the obvious elbow-grease that goes into the old recipe, but I was intrigued by Ina’s chunky recipe where the oven does all the work.

I made it to pair with pork chops, but honestly, after four pounds of applesauce, we barely had a cup left for dinner the next day. It’s soooo good! Crazy good, like the middle-of-apple-pie good. Her original recipe calls for 6 pounds of apples, but my Dutch Oven isn’t quite big enough to accommodate that amount, so I tapered the recipe down to 4 pounds.

Serve this alongside pork, in your kid’s lunch or as an after school treat. This is heaven.
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Prep time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 1/2 hours
Yield:  a little over 1 1/2 quarts (6-7 cups)
Special equipment: Dutch Oven

2 lbs. green granny smith apples
2 lbs. any variety of sweet red apples
zest and juice of 1 1/2 oranges
zest and juice of 1 small lemon
2/3 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. allspice
3 T butter or non-dairy alternative

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Peel and core all apples. Cut into quarters and add to Dutch Oven.
  3. Add juice, zest, sugar and spices and mix everything together with your hands. Drop butter atop in 1 tablespoon dollops.
  4. Bake covered, for 1 hour. Remove and use wire whisk to stir and break apples down to desired consistency. Serve warm or at room temperature. Once cooled, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.


Posted in condiments + appetizers, kids lunches + school, sides + vegetables, snacks + treats | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment




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