EPISODE 84

Apples are wonderful for you, full of fiber, natural sugars (which slowly release into your blood, becoming long lasting energy), and vitamins and minerals. Studies have found that around half of the apples vitamins and minerals are in the peel, which will explain the method I use in this “recipe.”

This barely required a recipe as all you have to do is cut the apple flesh off the core, cut into rough chunks (around ½ inch pieces), place into a saucepan with just enough water to allow the apples to steam and soften (around 1 cm), and cook covered over medium heat until the apples are super soft, 20ish minutes. I love to add ground cinnamon at the end (to taste), but that does slightly muddly the colour of the apples, so if you prefer, throw in a few sticks of cinnamon at the beginning of the apple cooking time. I never find the cinnamon taste to be strong enough when I do it this way though. If you’d like to brighten up the colour of the sauce, throw in a handful of fresh or frozen raspberries.

Obviously you can add in pears, nectaries, peaches, plums, cherries, etc (any stone fruit – except an avocado because that would be gross in this case). We normally make sauce when we have fruits going bad or grossly soft. We’re pretty anti-waste in my family so this sauce was born out a desire to create deliciousness from what would have otherwise been compost. You can literally use any kind of apples, yes, any kind. Heat, water, and time will soften all apples enough to be blended up so don’t worry. A variety is lovely as well as all different apples have different tastes.

Once your fruit is deliciously softened, remove the cinnamon sticks/add the ground cinnamon, and puree with a hand immersion blender or in an upright blender. You can also pass this through a food mill for an ultra-smooth texture, though that will take away from the nutritional value of the fruit. If you want your sauce slightly thinner feel free to add some water to thin it out. 

This is delicious hot or cold and will last in your fridge for just over a week. Feel free to make lots and freeze leftovers, perhaps portioned out in snack containers for an awesome on the go treat.