Homemade Applesauce

Fall is almost here: The days are getting shorter and cooler, students have returned to Brooklyn College, and apples have started making a major appearance in the Union Square farmer's market.  Even I, a person who professes to not even like apples, can't resist a deal like 3 pounds of apples for $1.  So what to do with these apples that I sure as heck am not eating raw?  I always return to my old fall staple: Homemade applesauce, which disguises all the things I don't enjoy about apples (texture, mainly).  Whether or not you're an apple fan, this is a pretty delicious way to get in your daily doctor-prescribed apple.

You'll need:

3 pounds of tart apples, peeled and cored

1/2 cup sugar

4 cups water

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/4 tsp. grated lemon rind

1 whole cinnamon stick

A dash of salt

Roughly chop your apples into quarters or eighths.  Place in a large saucepan and add water.  Bring the mixture up to a simmer and let it bubble away until the apples are tender, about 15 minutes. You should be able to easily break up the apples with a wooden spoon.

This is what your pot full o' apples should look like at the beginning.

Add the remaining ingredients to the mixture and let simmer for an additional minute.  Remove from heat and mush up the mixture with your wooden spoon.  It should look like this:

Mmm.  Chunky and delicious.

I like my applesauce cold, so I stick in the fridge for a while before eating it.  This recipe makes about 6 generous servings of applesauce—Just be sure not to eat the cinnamon stick!

Made in season, this an extremely budget-friendly dessert.  With my $1 apples, a large jar of cinnamon sticks for $2.50, and a typical grocery store lemon (69 cents), this whole things comes to about $2 and change.

Even non-apple enthusiasts like me and Rizi Bizi enjoy this applesauce.  Seriously, she keeps trying to get in my bowl.