Saucy Apple Sauce

Trader Joe's Gala apples made great sauce!

I love the fall season.  The smell of apples cooking on the stove top or pumpkin pie sitting and cooling on a rack brings a smile to my face.  These simple pleasures not only warm the heart on a brisk November day, but it also warms the spirit...OH and it makes the house or apartment, in my case, smell delicious!

This evening I had a bag of apples sitting in my refrigerator that have been staring at me for the past week begging for me to use them.  I know, I should have just eaten them raw if it bothered me so much, but these were not the best apples to eat raw.  They were a bit flavorless and blah, so I decided my only option for these apples were to mash them into submission and make sauce.

When I visit my parent's home in the fall, I mentally cross my fingers that my mom will make apple sauce.  I don't know why or how, but she makes the best apple sauce I've ever had.  Every year I try to recreate her sauce, but it never quite comes out like her recipe.  I think this has something to do with the simple fact that it is made by my mother.  What I find most entertaining about her apple sauce is that it is not just a sauce, but a dessert. 

Below is my own creation that was tangy and delicious on a cool Culver City evening.
The Hungry Vegan Bear's Saucy Apple Sauce
2 lb. bag of Gala apples
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp Bourbon vanilla
2 tsp nutmeg
splash of water

Begin by peeling the apples and cutting out the core.  Next, slice and cut the apple into cubes.  I like the cubes because this allows for a thicker version while mashing.  I usually have a few larger lumps in my sauce, which I like because it feels more filling later on when I'm consuming a bowlful.  Add the cubed apples to a pan with a splash of water and set the heat on the stove top to about a medium heat.  At this point, I add in the cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar.  Then cover the apples and let it simmer on the stove top until it comes to a boil.  Then uncover and begin to mash a few of the softer apples on the bottom of the pan.

I'm a firm believer in heat fluctuation, which means that I usually dip down the heat from the medium and then back up, if the apples or stove top is not cooperating.  Once I've done this a couple of times, I set the sauce on low, mashing and stirring, and allow the sauce to simmer. 

The preparation and cooking time is around 30 minutes.  Once the sauce is done, allow it to cool, and then serve with soy milk, whipped cream, or soy dessert.  Or, for you traditionalists out there, simply dish out a scoop or two into a bowl and serve.