Back To The Basics
‘Tis apple season in our neck of the woods. This means many weekends spent at local apple orchards, picking to our heart’s content and rediscovering our favorite apples along the way. There really is nothing that quite compares to eating an apple that just seconds ago was hanging on a tree, which your son or daughter lovingly picked and handed to you - assuring you that they chose the best apple on the tree.
But what to do with those apples? Those pounds and pounds of apples are destined for eating out of hand, or sliced and dunked in a gooey caramel dip. Perhaps a pie or two is on the horizon, and I clearly foresee some folding of apple chunks in bread and cake batters. I think our favorite way to eat apples, though, is perhaps one of the simplest, and that is homemade applesauce. Applesauce is the perfect way to use up those apples that just don’t have that crunch factor anymore, but still have loads of flavor. We end up making several batches of applesauce every year, which is great since it also freezes effortlessly, and makes a fantastic treat in the middle of winter.
This week, though, my son asked for something unexpected. I asked him if he would like to help me make some applesauce, and he shook his head right away. “No, I think we should go buy applesauce.” I had to inquire further, as he has always loved the homemade sauce, but when he told me he wanted to buy applesauce because he wanted blueberry applesauce, inspiration struck. I had blueberries in the freezer — why had I not thought of changing up applesauce before? Within minutes we were slicing apples and retrieving blueberries from the freezer. Twenty long minutes later we had bowls of piping hot purple applesauce in our hands. By golly if my son hadn’t been onto something! This Blueberry Applesauce is amazingly delicious, and also a great way to squeeze in some ultra-healthy blue antioxidants.
Blueberry Applesauce
serves 6
- 6 large tart apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
- 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (no need to thaw)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup apple cider
Combine all the ingredients in a sauce pot over medium low heat. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat and cover. Cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occassionally. As you stir, most of the chunks will break up naturally. For a smoother sauce you can mash with a potato masher or blitz with an immersion blender.
