Mamie's Famous Applesauce

Carol here ~

I make the best applesauce. At least that is what my grandkids tell me. The secret is this old fashioned strainer/masher/sauce maker canning sieve that was given to me by Dan’s mom many years ago.  

Anyone else have one like this?

Here is how I make it ~

I use an apple corer to slice and core the apples, then cut them into chunks ~ enough to fill a big pot.

I then add about 3/4 cup water, cover and cook on simmer. Time will vary, but the longer the apples cook, the juicier and more flavorful they get.

On my stove in my Rangeley house I could put them on around 8:00 in the morning, simmer all day with only a couple stirs, and either have the sauce ready for when grandson Parker arrived after school or have him help me when he arrived.

With my new stove here at the pond there is no simmer. Well, there is according to the knobs but the heat is way too high so all I get is a boil. I have to be always checking and stirring so the apples don’t burn on. We even bought a heat diffuser but the burner is still too hot.

I cook the apples until soft, remove from the heat and spoon them into the sauce maker. I then use the wooden thingy (technical term) and smoosh the apples through the holes into a bowl. I keep adding the cooked apples until gone.

This is all the waste I have left.

I then add about 1/2 cup of sugar, depending on what kind of apples I use and how tart they are. Then I add cinnamon, no idea how much, I just dump some in. We like it cinnamon-y! Stir well. (Dan’s mom used to use those little red cinnamon candies in her applesauce)

I also stir again after it has set for awhile because the sugar and cinnamon will tend to settle to the bottom of the bowl.

We love applesauce with pork and the kids just love it by the bowl full! Our friend Lynn says she likes to warm the applesauce and add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top ~ just like pie without the crust!

I know they make new-fangled applesaucers but if you ever have a chance to get an old one, grab it!