Country Chef Reader

Seasoned comfort food cook, April Poirier, from Auburn, Washington, shares a story about "Changing Times" and her recipe for homemade applesauce.

Recently I served my 10-year old granddaughter, Stephanie, some of my homemade applesauce. I'd seasoned the apple slices with sugar and cinnamon and added a dash of nutmeg. The fragrance wafting through the house hinted of autumn as the aromatic sauce bubbled away on the stove. It was chunky and thick, exactly the way I'd always made it for her dad when he was growing up.

Stephanie took an eager bite, and then she looked at me as though she was going to be sick, "Grandma I have to chew this applesauce before I can swallow it!" I was floored. Were kids today unfamiliar with the taste of old fashioned, made-from-scratch applesauce?

After some thought it occurred to me that Stephanie was accustomed to eating school lunches where they served strained, pasteurized, and basically tasteless applesauce.

In no time Stephanie began asking for "Grandma's" homemade style applesauce, and today she looks forward to my blend of apples and spices served with Grilled Pork Chops.

April's Classic Applesauce
6-8 Gala apples, peeled, cored and quartered
1/2 to 1 cup apple juice or cider
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Place all ingredients into a large pan in the order given. Use less apple juice for thicker applesauce, less or more sugar according to desired sweetness, and adjust spices according to your family's taste. Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower heat; simmer for 20 minutes. Use a hand potato masher to "mush" the apples once they begin breaking down. Simmer on low for 10 to 20 minutes longer, stirring and mashing periodically to prevent scorching. Yield: 6 to 8 cups
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Bumper Crop: Beginning with Apples

My e-book, Bumper Crop: Beginning with Apples, is published as a multi-formated e-book at Smashwords. As many of you know, the book is a collection of 31 apple recipes beginning with Curried Apple Soup as a starter, Cornish Game Hens with Apple Onion Stuffing for the entree, and A Twist of Fall Apple Cider Cheesecake for dessert.

Get your Free copy of Bumper Crop at http://tinyurl.com/36yjzhh when using coupon code ZR25F. E-copies are available in PDF, digital LRF, PDB, RTF, Epub & more, including Kindle. Offer is good through October 31, 2011. Regular price is $1.99.


I hope you'll help me spread the word. This is a great book for autumn that offers you and your family many delightful ways to enjoy America's favorite fruit-the apple.
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Labels: applesauce, grilled pork chops, made from scratch, old-fashioned, pork chops applesauce

Every year when Labor Day weekend rolls around my mind turns to the fall apple harvest. OK, I think about apples all year-round, but that's just me. At any rate, September is here and all of us will be experiencing cooler night and warmer appetites for heartier dinners.


Homemade Pork Chops and Chunky Applesauce are the first two recipes appearing in the introduction of my nostalgic cookbook, Pork Chops & Applesauce. Find more comfort food recipes at http://www.porkchopsandapplesauce.net/purchase.htm

Homemade Chunky Applesauce
6 - 8 apples, peeled, cored, diced (best to use several different varieties)
1/4 cup water or apple juice
1 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Place prepared apples in a large saucepan, add water, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and sugar. Do not stir; cover with a tight-fitting lid. Place over medium heat. When apple mixture begins to bubble or steam, reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20-40 minutes, stir only when necessary to avoid scorching. When apples are tender, remove from heat and mash to desired "chunkiness" with a hand-held masher. For a thicker applesauce, cook uncovered, on medium-low heat for 5-15 additional minutes, or until applesauce reaches desire consistency. Yield: 6 cups

Note: The key to making the world's most flavorful applesauce is to use a variety of cooking apples in every batch. Adding 1 or 2 Red or Golden Delicious apples adds extra sweetness to the sauce. For a caramelized type applesauce, avoid stirring the apples during the cooking process. Do not stir after pouring the spices and sugar over the prepared apples, stir only enough while cooking to keep mixture from scorching.

Pan-Fried Pork Chops
6 – 1" thick, bone-in pork chops
3 tablespoons cooking oil
Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste

Sprinkle pork chops with salt, pepper and garlic powder; set aside. Treat a heavy skillet with cooking spray; place skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and when "dimples" begin appearing in the skillet, add seasoned pork chops. Pan-fry over medium heat for approximately 10-15 minutes on each side, or until chops are crispy and brown on the outside with no visible pink inside next to the bone. Serve with warm Homemade Chunky Applesauce.
Yield: 6 servings

Note: Grilling has become a more popular cooking method for meat, chops and poultry. When I'm serving applesauce with pork chops I keep the seasoning simple as with pan-frying and then grill to taste. You can hardly go wrong by serving a fall dinner of pork chops and applesauce to your friends or family - it's a sumptuous autumn dinner everyone loves.


Cynthia Briggs

Labels: applesauce, autumn dinner, comfort food, fall apples, grilled pork chops, pan-fried pork chops