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Apple Sauce is an extremely popular condiment, being especially popular with pork, here in the UK. Much like most jams and preserves, it’s an extremely easy recipe to make and needless to say, homemade is far superior to what one gets out of a jar.
All you do is cook some apple down with a little added liquid which can be (hard) cider, water or apple juice. Sugar is added and some spice for aroma, done in 15-20 minutes!
Apple Fun Facts
Apparently, there are over 7 500 varieties of apples in existence, some are sweet, some are tart, from Braeburn to Golden Delicious to big old Bramley. How many can you name? I don’t think I managed quite a dozen off the top of my head!
How to use Apple Sauce
- as a meat accompaniment as mentioned, not just pork but great with game too, like this Pot Roast Partridge
- drizzled over vanilla ice cream
- mixed into pancake batter for apple pancakes
- as a topping for said or other pancakes
- eat it straight up, the way I love to do!
- mix a little into the next Indian curry you make – zing!
You can use whatever kind of apples you prefer, sweet or otherwise, peeled or not, and the final flavour is really a matter of personal preference. I love using Bramleys, or cooking apples for the amount of sourness they impart.
White or brown sugar – again, a matter of preference. Brown sugar will always give you a touch of caramel, I definitely prefer white for the “clean” taste.
Spices – you can use whole ones or ground, just don’t forget to fish the whole ones out before serving.
Liquid – I love using either (hard) apple cider or apple juice for extra flavour.
Make Ahead Apple Sauce
Make it a couple of days earlier and stick it in the fridge; that’s what I do every year. On the day, either serve it cold with your holiday meal, or warm it up. The bonus of making it earlier is that you can have it earlier!
Apple sauce can be bottled up and stored for months in sterilised jars. Read more on how to do that here.
Apple Sauce can also be frozen for up to a year, just remember to place a clingfilm or foil directly on the surface of the sauce to prevent freezer burn and crystals. I like to freeze it in small freezer bags, squeezing out all the air, before placing the bag in the freezer.
So, shall we get our aprons on?
More Dips, Sauces and Gravy recipes on LinsFood
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Lin xx
Apple Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 Bramley apples
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- 2.5 cm ginger, grated
- 60 g white sugar
- 125 ml apple cider or apple juice
Instructions
- Peel, core and slice the apples into wedges about half an inch thick.
- Place all the ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer and cook away for about 20 minutes, uncovered.
- If you like your apple sauce smooth, blitz in a blender. I like some soft chunks, so what I do is just give it a stir, which will encourage some of the apples to break down and others as little chunks.
- Store in a clean container/jar in the fridge and it will last for 3-4 days. You can also store the apple sauce in sterilized jars for longer – a couple of months without a hot water bath and a couple of years, with, if it lasts that long!
Nice and easy. I have a small dinner party this weekend. I’m thinking this as a canape topping, maybe small pieces of broiled duck breast. Will that work?
Absolutely. That’s a great combination.
Thanks Chef. I noticed you have apple cider and apple juice. What’s the difference?
Hi Jay, here, in Europe, cider refers to the alcoholic version, what you’d call hard cider. I know in the US, it’s apple juice, isn’t it?
Hello, just saw this on G+. I have never made my own apple sauce or cranberry sauce. But looking at your recipe, it sounds pretty easy and quick. Can I use eating apples, if I can’t get bramley?
Hi Nancy, sure you can. Try and get apples that are slightly tart, I think they make better sauce.
Thanks Chef, I love this lightly spiced apple sauce. On my list for Thanksgiving.
Cool, thanks for letting me know.
Nice & easy, I will stop buying preserves.
This is wonderful, thank you. I’ve never made my own, I’ll give your recipe a try.