Dec 8, 20223 min read

Have a glass of wine and learn how to cook on Zoom

My first Zoom cooking class was last Sunday and I had a blast showing the group how easy it is to make rustic caramel apple pie with your own homemade pie dough. It felt like a party.

The best part is that it only looks hard!

So, I’ve scheduled the next few classes:

Sunday, January 8, 2023, we’re making really great chili—if you’d prefer, the recipe can be made to be vegetarian. Link
Sunday, January 22, 2023, it’s soup time. A thick flavorful lentil soup that can easily be made to be vegetarian. Link
Sunday, February 5, 2023, we’re making the rustic caramel apple pie. Link

If you can’t wait until February to take the rustic pie? No problem, get the recording!

Apples are in season and the difference between store-bought applesauce and homemade came up. The two can’t be equated; to your tastebuds there is no comparison.

“Do you have a recipe for applesauce in your cookbook?”

“No,” I responded, a little surprised that I didn’t. “It’s so facile. I’ll post a good recipe in my blog.”

And that’s just what I’m doing.

This recipe calls for unpeeled apples, and I highly recommend that. The skin of the apple contains an abundance of fiber and vitamins that our bodies need. You can choose to peel the apples, but then you’ll need to pop a few vitamins to make up for the ones you threw away.

I love that this recipe doesn’t include any extra sugar. The sweetness comes from the condensed apple cider. If you don’t find it sweet enough you can always add a little sugar toward the end of cooking.

Buy extra apples while they are at their peak and make a large batch. Don’t worry about the quantity; applesauce freezes really well. Scoop it into containers or self-sealing bags, label, date, and freeze them for when you are in the mood.

Homemade Applesauce

Serves: 6

Prep time: 30 minutes

Total time: about 1 ½ hours

Ingredients

8 apples

6 cups (1 ½ quarts) apple cider

Directions

In a large Dutch oven or large stainless-steel pot, boil the cider down until reduced by about half.
Quarter and core the apples without peeling.
Add the apples into the reduced cider.
Reduce the heat to medium low and cook until the apples are tender and soft.
Stir continuously to keep them from burning. I like to let them brown, adding a sweet caramel flavor to the applesauce.
Use an immersion blender to puree the apples, either until the mixture is smooth, or if you prefer, stop mixing while the apples are still chunky.
Continue to cook until the flavor is perfectly to your liking.

Double the recipe to make a larger batch.

Bon Appétit

Here Is What's Happening

The Zoom classes schedule:

Chili, it's delicious, with so much flavor your friends will be begging you to make it again! Vegetarian? No problem, I'll show you how to adjust it without losing any flavor. — Sunday, January 8, 2023 Link

It’s soup time. There is nothing better than a thick flavorful bowl of lentil soup on a cold damp day. And I'll show you how to make it vegetarian—if that's your preference. — Sunday, January 22, 2023 Link