Cook Like James

Fast Easy Homemade Applesauce

Fast Easy Homemade Applesauce

A friend of mine called and asked me what was the best way to use up a bunch of apples and I naturally suggested applesauce. I often find the crisper drawer in my  own refrigerator filled with a variety of apples and end up throwing them into a pot with a few ingredients to create a delicious homemade applesauce. It’s so versatile – I add it to oatmeal at breakfast, blend a scoopful into smoothies, use it to replace pumpkin in muffin recipes and it’s also a great accompaniment to many main course dishes. 

Download Fast Easy Homemade Applesauce recipe

4 pounds apples, such as McIntosh, Gala, and Braeburn

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 lemons)

1 cup apple juice (or water)

3 inches of cinnamon stick

Pinch of salt

3 tablespoons brown sugar (optional)

1. Peel, core, and slice apples.

2. In a large pot, bring apples, salt, lemon juice, cinnamon stick, and apple juice (or water) to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until apples are very soft and falling apart, 25 to 30 minutes.

3. Mash with a potato masher or pulse in a food processor until smooth with small chunks remaining. (Add sugar, if using.)

4. Let cool, and then transfer applesauce to airtight containers.

 

Caviar Limes (Australian Finger Limes)

My friend Lauren was visiting over the 4^th of July weekend and brought me a bag of these exotic limes. She is part of the team at Good Land Organics™ which is located in the hills of Goleta, California, two miles from the Pacific Coast.  This certified organic land is called Condor Ridge Ranch, and is a unique ecosystem, unlike almost any other in the area, that allows them to grow a diversity of exotic sub-tropical crops.  The soil is a rich clay loam free of chemical pesticides. The winters are mild and typically frost-free, while the mild summer days start with foggy mornings.  These climate patterns contribute to their ability to grow the specialty sub-tropical fruits others cannot. Check them out at  http://goodlandorganics.com

The Australian Finger lime has a wild look, much different from most citrus fruit, somewhat resembling a baby gherkin, up to 3 inches in length with a purplish or greenish black color. To find the “caviar”, just cut the lime in half and give it a gentle squeeze – the tiny beads just “ooze out as if erupting from a mini-volcano. Unlike the tender, tear-drop-shaped juice sacs in standard citrus, the translucent, greenish-white or pinkish vesicles in finger limes are round and firm, and pop on the tongue like caviar, releasing a flavor that combines lemon and lime with green and herbaceous notes.” (LA Times 12/23/09)