Homemade Applesauce

I think this is an excellent version of applesauce. I halved the recipe and followed it pretty closely, using a combination of Granny Smith, Gala and Macintosh apples. I loved the spices which I thought were relatively subtle and the citrus rind was great. I see this as a wonderful jumping off place for all sorts of recipes. This could be the base for a really good chutney, with the addition of more spice, cranberries, currants, etc. I also think it could be a great filling for pastry or addition to a muffin or quickbread batter. I had no problem with the butter, though I did add it sparingly; I thought it added a lot to mouthfeel. It's also so easy--peel, squeeze, measure everything into one pot and shove it in the oven. This is one Contessa recipe which I wish I had not halved.

I just cannot put butter into applesauce, but I think it might have kept it from boiling so hard, maybe 2 TBLS would be enough. I was glad that I put this into a giant Dutch oven as it was obvious from the inside of the pan that it had been boiling and foaming up to the top. I did not believe that 6 pounds of apples could cook in 1 ½ hours in the oven, so was not in a hurry to remove it but should have as it did seem a little over cooked. I would have preferred it a little chunkier. I did add the two peels of red apples to improve the color as suggested, but they had disintegrated too much to remove. Next time I would cut back on the spices, I think they hide the apple flavor. I used half Granny Smith apples and half MacIntosh as suggested and had to double the sugar and it was still on the sour side. This was a surprisingly easy recipe after you get past all the apple peeling. I liked not having to cut the apples more than into quarters and not having to stir.