Pomegranate Applesauce

Pomegranates. Yummy. Those two words seems to go together very well – at least in my mind. We have enjoyed them for years, even when they were a lot more expensive in the store than they are these days. Larry likes them so much, that I don’t usually get a chance to actually use them in cooking, because he makes such short work of them. I picked up a couple extras last week though and told him to keep his mitts off , so that I could make this.

This is a half peck [about 5 pounds] of orchard-run Cortland apples. Orchard run means they are aren’t sorted to get rid of any with flaws, and you get a wide variety of sizes in one bag. They are cheaper than the sorted ones, but if you don’t have any orchards near you, apples of all kinds are pretty cheap right now, so you can stock up on some extras to make this luscious sauce. You can use just about any kind of apple to make applesauce, or any combination of varieties. It is the perfect way to use wild apples too, which might not be so great to look at, but often have a more complex flavor than the domesticated offerings. Today, we are using some nice fresh Cortlands though – still pretty firm and tart, so I left half of them out at room temperature for a couple days to sweeten up just a bit.

You do need one special piece of equipment for this particular method of making applesauce, and that is some type of food mill. This is mine. It is a MUI, and while I will admit it is not cheap, it is a kitchen essential as far as I am concerned. I use it a lot – for my canning and freezing in the fall, for various sauces and soups, and mashed vegetable dishes all year long. You can use it to make baby food, jams and jellies, spaghetti sauce  from fresh tomatoes and tons of other stuff. There are cheaper ones on Amazon as well – just click that link and then do a search “food mill” and you will find a lot of choices. Using a food mill to make applesauce means you don’t have to peel and core the apples either, which saves time, not to mention nutrients and a lot of flavor. Enough chit chat though – lets make some applesauce!

Wash the apples and cut into big chunks.Dump them all into a big pot – this one is 8 quarts and it was just right for this amount of apples. If I am doing a bigger batch of sauce, I just keep adding more apples as they cook down. Add 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, 1 tablespoon of cider vinegar and a couple tablespoons of water. Simmer on low, stirring often while they get hot. Once the apples really start to cook, and give up some juice, you can raise the heat a bit to hurry them along. You will still need to stir them every 15 minutes or so.In the meantime, prepare the pomegranates. Cut them in half from end to end.Place the half, cut side down in the palm of your hand, hold it over a bowl, and smack it repeatedly with a heavy spoon of some kind. This is messy, so make sure you wear an apron or old clothes, and protect any stainable surfaces with newspaper or something. Just keep working around the entire outside and gradually, all of the little fruit covered seeds will drop out. You may need to pull out some of the pith to help it along. It took me less than 5 minutes to empty all four halves. Discard the pith and skins.I did mention that it is messy, right?Here are our apples, after cooking for about 30 minutes.Dump in the pomegranate bits and stir them in.Cook another 30 minutes or so, until the apples are completely broken down. Having the apples totally soft ensures the final sauce will have a silky smooth texture. Let this cool for about 20 minutes or so. You can do the next part right away, but hot apples splashing on your hand while you run them through the food mill is going to feel like molten lava, so waiting a few minutes is worth it.Spoon the fruit into the food mill, until it is about 1/2 full.Hold the handle firmly as you turn the crank – the seeds are going to offer a bit of resistance as the paddle passes over them and if you don’t hold on tight, it can slip out of your hand. [possibly spilling your applesauce to be all over the place. or so I’ve heard.] Keep turning the crank, occasionally reversing it for a couple turns, until you just have pulp left. This is all the pulp from this batch – less than a cup all together.You can season it to suit your own preference. I added a teaspoon of strong ground cinnamon and a tablespoon of raw honey. I love honey in applesauce – such a subtle, but rich flavor note, and you need less to have the same sweetness as sugar.The pomegranates add a gorgeous rosy color and a sweet-tart flavor, as well as some antioxidants and vitamins.I got about 10 cups of sauce. You can freeze it if you like. It will keep in the fridge for about 5 days. It is great for baking, as you will see here next week. If it lasts that long…

Another post you may enjoy:
Whole Wheat Applesauce Muffins