Easy Apple Sauce in Minutes!!

Ahh..Apple sauce!
The ingredients are simplicity itself. Good cooking apple varieties such as Granny Smith, Bramley, Cox’s Orange Pippin are among others; a dollop of butter and a dash of sugar. Whereas Bramley’s are the most widely used apples for cooking in the UK, the Granny Smith variety is the most popular in the US and Australia. But rarely known is that Cox’s is best known for its flavor.

So what is the definition of a good cooking apple? It should be on the acidic side, have a good flavor and firmness of flesh. The acidity is useful to keep the sauce from browning if a sweeter, dessert apple was used. I am of the opinion that sweet-eating apples are really not suitable for sauce making.

Method of cooking…
The apples should be peeled and cored, and chopped up roughly to assist cooking. In a pot add a little water to help breakdown the apples and it should be cooked to a puree. It should take about 15 – 20 mins depending on the quantity. A little sugar is added to round off the tartness and though not really necessary a little butter adds a touch of posh.
The apple sauce can also be conveniently cooked in a Panasonic microwave oven. Just place the peeled and cored apples with some water and sugar in a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover with microwave-safe cling wrap and cook on Micro Power High for 10 minutes. Remove the bowl and stir the apples, then continue to cook uncovered for another 5 – 6 minutes or until apples are soft and tender. Classically the puree is passed through a sieve to achieve a smooth fine sauce but in contemporary cooking a chunky sauce works just as well.

Cooked apple sauce can be kept in the fridge up to 4 – 5 days.