Anything I Can Do, She Can Do Better....

90% of the time I like to use a recipe when I cook. The rest of the time I make things up as I go. There are a handful of things that I can make without guidance that are pretty darn good. Applesauce is one of them.

Yes, applesauce.

Not very exciting, is it?

This isn't the applesauce that you get from a jar. That pale, cold, yellowish stuff. This applesauce is sort of like eating apple pie without the crust. Chunks of apples, brown sugar, spices, a little butter. It's good. Trust me. So when Ina had a recipe for applesauce I always just skipped over it confident that mine was untouchable. I considered trying it out this past December around the holidays, but my friend said not to...mine was too good and she didn't want to have it messed up. So I listened and went with my own concoction.

Now that I am cooking my way through the original Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, I am forced to make Auntie's applesauce. So I did. And dammit, it's way better than mine! Let's see what was different...


One thing about Ina is that she LOVES her zest. Orange zest, lemon zest, lime zest. She is the reason that I own a "zester" and the only time I use it is in her recipes. Half the time I leave it out because I am too lazy to do it or I am out of whatever needs zesting. It certainly isn't something I put in my applesauce. Orange juice is also one of her ingredients. I typically use apple cider. Cinnamon and brown sugar are in Ina's and my recipe. She uses allspice...I use clove and nutmeg. We both use butter. I use a couple of tablespoons while Auntie dumps in half a stick. Oy vey.

The other difference is that I cook my applesauce on top of the stove. I chunk up the apples, toss the rest of the ingredients in and let it simmer. She puts in in the oven and bakes it. I was ready to try it out and compare.

Here are my apples in the dish...note the zest!

I added the rest of the ingredients and put in in my oven. After an hour and a half, I had this:

Not the most appealing picture, but it was amazing how it all came together with just a few turns of a whisk. The house smelled fantastic too. I let it cool for a while and came back to face Auntie's sauce and find out if she really does know best. I should have known not to go up against Ina. It was good. Her applesauce kicked my applesauce's ass.

So there you have it. Here is a link to the recipe if you want to try it for yourself....

Homemade Applesauce