Pomegranate Applesauce!

So you go to the store, trying to be good, trying to follow that whole "apple-a-day" thing, and buy a sack of apples only to bring them home and find that they are mostly bruised, mealy, and unspectacular. Or, you've got some apples that have maybe been lying around a bit too long and fall into that unspectacular category. Well, in the spirit of waste not want not, when life give you crappy apples - make applesauce!
This recipe was actually inspired by a recent article on dessert wines in Bon Appetit. It got me thinking about some other creative ways of incorporating dessert wine into cooking. On a recent trip to the Wine & Spirits (PA gov't enforced liquor store) I came across a rather unseemly looking bottle of "Pomegranate Wine". Despite the flowery gold font and bright pink color, the price was right for some experimentation. While I would never drink the stuff (it is syrupy sweet, even for a dessert wine) I can see several applications to use it in cooking and it added a wonderful dimension to the standard applesauce. You can of course make this recipe with any other kind of strong sweet dessert wine, or if you prefer you may substitute white grape juice or water, just be sure to 1/2 the amount.

Don't be daunted by the long-ish cook time, it's pretty much all simmering.




Pomegranate Infused Applesauce
15 minutes prep time. 30-45 minutes total.
Yields approx 5-6 1 cup servings.


Ingredients
6 medium sized,sweet/tart apples (fuji or pink lady apples work great)
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp cloves
1 tsp cinnamon (or more to taste if you like)
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 cup Pomegranate or other dessert wine, or 1/2 cup water or white grape juice
1/4 tsp salt

Method
1. Core and peel apples (I found it easier for me to slice the apple first then peel each slice). Cube into 1" pieces.

TIP: MAKE SURE your apples are well cored and peeled, otherwise you will be picking out sharp little fingernail like pieces when you are eating - not pleasant.

2. In a medium saucepan or pot melt butter. Add apple pieces ans sauté stirring constantly until pieces begin to soften and release juices (approx 5 min).

3. Add cloves, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Stir to coat and cook an additional 2 min.

4. Add wine, water, or juice. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 min, stirring often.

TIP: I forgot to stir the first go-round and ended up with 1/2 of my applesauce stuck to the bottom of my pan, it was a horrible mess.

5. Return heat to med. Remove lid and cook until liquid is reduced by 1/2. For wine this should take approx 8-10 min.

6. Depending on your preferred consistency, you may choose to either pureé or mash your applesauce. I like a chunkier consistency, so I chose to mash my applesauce with a standard issue potato masher.

This applesauce is delicious served warm or chilled. Enjoy!