Comments on Sweet Amandine: On applesauce, taking stock, and making it, too.

I made this for Christmas dinner and it was absolu...

2009-12-25T23:43:37.092-05:00

I made this for Christmas dinner and it was absolutely delicious. I wasn't paying enough attention at the end so it burned a little bit and a few apple pieces didn't get a chance to cook down but it was still amazing.

gail - Okay, hold everything. I just promised in ...

2009-12-06T14:37:03.291-05:00

gail - Okay, hold everything. I just promised in my most recent post that I will banish all apples and cranberries from this site until the end of the month. But you can bet that in the privacy of my own kitchen, I'll be trying your concoction. Thanks!

Naomi - I would gladly trade you some of this sauce for a bowl of your sorbet. Sounds wonderful.

Jen - Thank you. As you can tell from the latest three recipes on this site, so do I!

I love cranberries and apples together... What a ...

2009-12-01T21:37:09.649-05:00

I love cranberries and apples together... What a beautiful dish!

I've been meaning to make applesauce ever since th...

2009-12-01T21:29:31.381-05:00

I've been meaning to make applesauce ever since they made their first appearance at the market. I've just turned all my cranberries into a sorbet, so I'll have to go get more and try this!

Yumm pandowdy! I love all things apple and applesa...

2009-11-20T21:02:31.493-05:00

Yumm pandowdy! I love all things apple and applesauce is one of my favorite things to make. Nothing in a jar that comes from a store can compare to the homemade version. Although sauteeing apples slices in butter, white whine and apple cider isn't too bad either.

Never thought of adding cranberries to my applesauce, but since I have both on hand, I'm going to give it a go.

Hi, Aviva. Thanks for reporting back. I love the...

2009-11-15T09:07:40.258-05:00

Hi, Aviva. Thanks for reporting back. I love the color, too. I'd like a sweater in the color of cranberry applesauce, come to think of it.

Jessica, I had some old apples that needed to be ...

2009-11-14T19:50:57.027-05:00

Jessica,

I had some old apples that needed to be used and so I made your applesauce. It has been a huge hit here and came out a gorgeous color!

Aviva

Allison - Wow, and from a non-applesauce lover, no...

2009-11-11T20:40:31.853-05:00

Allison - Wow, and from a non-applesauce lover, no less! This does happen to be better than your average applesauce, so maybe it would work for you. It makes me so happy to hear that you enjoy reading Sweet Amandine. Thank you for leaving a note to let me know.

Juliana - I guess we know how to pick 'em. And Cabernet jelly? That sounds amazing.

Lo - Thank you. Applesauce really is all the things that you say. May this recipe be the first of many applesauce makings in your kitchen. Enjoy!

Beautiful post. We don't make much applesauce at o...

2009-11-11T15:26:20.468-05:00

Beautiful post.
We don't make much applesauce at our house -- and maybe I should start wondering why. It's such a sweet, wonderful, comforting thing. And it really can be done while you're "waiting" for something else... like stock :)

I loved this little story of applesauce. My husba...

2009-11-11T00:54:24.943-05:00

I loved this little story of applesauce. My husband makes applesauce also, and just about anything else imaginable. Two weeks ago I had to stop after making one batch of Cabernet jelly so I could go to a choral group rehearsal, and dear John volunteered to continue the jelly making. At last count he's made about 48 jars. What a man.

ooo! I love this recipe - I'm not a huge applesauc...

2009-11-09T22:45:49.789-05:00

ooo! I love this recipe - I'm not a huge applesauce fan, but I know I would love this. I read your blog all the time and really don't comment often enough - you're great, I so enjoy all of your posts.

Rosiecat - It's nice to know that I'm in good comp...

2009-11-09T19:27:14.321-05:00

Rosiecat - It's nice to know that I'm in good company. I have a feeling that there are a lot of us late-night recipe readers out there.

Char - I won't talk you out of it.

Anonymous - Good question. Yes, it's because of the cranberries that this recipe needs at least a little bit of sugar. In my opinion, it's the sweet against the tart that makes this sauce so good. If 1/2 cup sounds like too much for your taste, you can start with less and add, as necessary. I have also made all-apple apple sauce without sugar. I like to serve it warm, and bring a little bowl of brown sugar to the table so that guests can sweeten to their hearts' content.

minor catastrophes - Hello, and welcome! Thanks for your kind words. I'm so glad that you decided to leave a note, mostly because you enabled me to discover your site. You've got some seriously great stuff going on over there.

Thanks for the applesauce variations, and for sharing that you've had success with freezing. Readers, take note!

Julie - Ugh, sounds like a mess. I know, come to Boston and I'll share some of my applesauce!

Andrea - Thanks for the cookbook recommendation. Spicy applesauce sounds good to me. Hope it was delicious.

bluejeangourmet - 1. Oh, we're crazy alright. 2. Excellent. 3. Hanukkah dessert advice, coming right up: In general, the custom is to eat foods made with (okay, usually fried in) oil to commemorate the teeny, tiny bit of oil that, according to legend, miraculously lasted for eight days. Hence the latkes (potato pancakes), and the traditional Hanukkah dessert, the sufganya (plural, sufganyot). Sufganyot are like doughnuts; they're traditionally filled with jelly, but I've also seen them filled with dulce de leche (!) or Nutella (!), a chocolate-hazelnut spread. Other fried dessert options include beignets and apple fritters. I've actually never tried my hand at any of these treats. Instead, my go-to Hanukkah dessert recipe is (drum roll, please) carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. Some people turn their noses up at carrot cake, as if it's not a "real" dessert, but I'm telling you, these cupcakes are decadent and delicious. They have converted more than a few carrot cake skeptics over the years. Plus, they're made with oil, so I get in on that holiday symbolism, too. I've made them for our Hanukkah party every year since 2005, and they are always a hit. I'll probably be posting the recipe here next month, but if you would like it before then, shoot me an e-mail, and I'll hook you up.

giao - Thanks! Very happy to hear that you're off to cook up your first pot. Enjoy.

i have been meaning to make my own applesauce for ...

2009-11-09T13:35:34.095-05:00

i have been meaning to make my own applesauce for years. what am i waiting for? for your post lovely post, i think! beautiful, just beautiful.

1. ya'll are so freaking cute. crazy, crazy cute. ...

2009-11-09T13:29:49.276-05:00

1. ya'll are so freaking cute. crazy, crazy cute. yay love!

2. I'm making this.

3. advice? I'm in charge of dessert at a Hanukkah party this year (Jewish school, remember?). I did really well at Passover, and am hoping to keep my reputation up.

Some of my favorite bedtime reading involves cookb...

2009-11-06T17:38:41.611-05:00

Some of my favorite bedtime reading involves cookbooks. My current obsession is The Italian Country Table...lovely, lovely writing.

I have applesauce on my agenda this weekend, a spicy variety, although I am now reconsidering my recipe... This sounds fabulous! Cranberries and apples are one of the best combinations. Ever.

YUM. I make cranberry applesauce every year, and h...

2009-11-06T01:00:48.029-05:00

YUM. I make cranberry applesauce every year, and have been mourning the loss of an entire tree full of apples to an early frost. They are now dive bombing us in the back yard, splattering all over everything.

Jess, I discovered your blog when you won BlogHer ...

2009-11-05T10:33:02.391-05:00

Jess, I discovered your blog when you won BlogHer of the Week, and have been reading you ever since. You have such a lovely voice and your photos/recipes are wonderful. Thanks for that.

About applesauce: I've been making a ton of it here in Montana this season! Sometimes I core the apples, leave the skin on and cook them in the crockpot with sugar, cinnamon and maybe a pinch of cloves. Once done, you can run the sauce through the blender to keep the fiber benefit from the skin, but smooth out the clumpy texture. You can also throw in a handful of berries, or even a frozen banana, though the resulting product is strongly flavored...which is often quite nice. Also, I find it freezes well :) Take care.

that sounds great. do you normally put sugar in y...

2009-11-05T00:54:57.728-05:00

that sounds great. do you normally put sugar in your applesauce? or is it in this version because of the cranberries. i'm asking because when i make it w/ just apples i don't but i know many people do. thanks.

oh heaven. I have to make this.

2009-11-04T22:29:15.530-05:00

oh heaven. I have to make this.

Cranberry applesauce? Um, yes, please! Where's m...

2009-11-04T15:35:08.168-05:00

Cranberry applesauce? Um, yes, please! Where's my spoon? Amazingly, even here in Texas we've got fresh cranberries on the produce shelves. (But I really don't want to think about how far they've traveled to be here, where it's a balmy 70-something degree temperature today. In NOVEMBER! I love Texas. And I digress...)

Late-night recipe reading is the perfect prelude to lovely, peaceful sleep. I am not at all surprised to hear that you love it, too. Late-night cooking can be pretty fun too. I love how quiet the kitchen and my mind are when I'm cooking at night, after the hullabaloo of dinner is done.

Hi, everyone. Such a lovely batch of notes from y...

2009-11-04T12:43:55.891-05:00

Hi, everyone. Such a lovely batch of notes from you all today. Thank you so much for being here, and for taking the time to write. I've been a little absent lately, and coming back to this space always feels so good. Especially when you're all here to meet me.

Linda - Bedtime recipe reading is really one of the best things in life, I'm convinced. I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying those chickpeas and tomatoes. Have an extra helping for me. Here, we're pretty much done with heirlooms for the season.

Rogue Unicorn - Sadness. Though what you lack in cranberries, you make up for in pomegranates, no? I'm not sure that the sauce would work with pomegranate seeds, unless you fancy your applesauce on the crunchy side. But maybe you could add a little freshly-squeezed pomegranate juice to a batch of regular applesauce and get something comparably tart and rosy? Thanks for passing along that cake recipe to your friends. It's definitely one for even the self-proclaimed "non-bakers" out there.

Lauren - Yes, the cranberries are back! That must mean it's truly fall.

Rebecca - Thank you for your very kind words, and welcome! I've never tried freezing this recipe, but I've given it some thought, and I have a feeling that it would work beautifully. Though I can't make any promises, I think it's worth a go. Just be sure to seal it in an airtight container. If you do give it a try, and you think of it, I would be grateful if you would report back so that I can add a note to the recipe.

EEJ - Amen on all counts. Just swap in the tea for the coffee, for me.

El - Thank you. And yes, having a partner in crime does make time in the kitchen more fun. I hope you'll like this sauce as much as I do.

Frenchie - You are really too kind, my friend. Thank you. If you are a cranberry lover, this recipe may be love at first bite. Fair warning.

Maggie - Thank you. It means a lot knowing that you're reading.

Jennifer - We have our not-so-adorable moments too, but thanks. Yes, this stock that Eli made (from an initial, also amazing stock) was something called "brown stock." So good. We actually still have a little in the freezer. Lucky us.

You two are just too darn adorable. What a lovely ...

2009-11-04T12:06:09.759-05:00

You two are just too darn adorable. What a lovely image of you strategizing your meals together. Isn't homemade stock just worth every minute? Even more so, when another darling recipe like this applesauce is crafted during the downtime...

This is lovely. Lovely writing, lovely rosy apples...

2009-11-04T10:08:24.472-05:00

This is lovely. Lovely writing, lovely rosy applesauce.

Jess, when I saw you had a new post up, I couldn't...

2009-11-04T09:44:19.672-05:00

Jess, when I saw you had a new post up, I couldn't wait to read. I love that you feel comfortable sharing tidbits about your everyday life in a way that a lot of people would shy away from. Honesty and love really are beautiful. The fact that you paired your story with a stellar recipe, makes it that much better. I love apple sauce and I cannot wait to make this one, I have never made it with cranberries but given how much I love cranberries, I think this is going to be a huge hit.

Jess, this is such a lovely story. I love how you ...

2009-11-04T09:32:06.597-05:00

Jess, this is such a lovely story. I love how you captured a simple, intimate moment in your relationship. Isn't it wonderful being married to someone who cares about food? I'm definitely inspired to try this recipe. I'll make sure we make it at night so that we too can fill our home with the cozy, delicious fragrance you so eloquently describe!