Roasted Applesauce with Raspberries

It's such a simple idea, isn't it? Just throw a few raspberries into homemade applesauce. The results? A glorious raspberry gem color and a brightness never before tasted in applesauce. Is Ina Garten a genius? I think so! If this is your first time to make homemade applesauce, start here, if only for sheer prettiness.

Real Food, Fresh & Beautiful. No Added Sugar! Budget Friendly. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. Easy Weeknight Supper. Potluck & Party Friendly. Low Fat. Weight Watchers Friendly. Vegetarian. Naturally Gluten Free. Whole30 Friendly.

~ Skip Straight to the Recipe ~

COMPLIMENTS!

• "Oh my. It's incredible. ... YUM! " ~ Maxine
• "I had some blueberries ... I couldn't stay away from it. Oh so good ..." ~ Maxine

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Pure Jazz, Pure Genius

My first batch of applesauce with raspberries, I cut the recipe in half. I didn't doubt the recipe, it came from Ina Garten's new cookbook Cooking for Jeffrey (affiliate link) after all.

I've made a half dozen recipes from this, Ina's latest cookbook: one didn't work for us but five are new staples! Remember the beautiful Celebration Salad, the one with Maple-Roasted Carrots, Arugula, Dill, Cranberry Vinaigrette, Pomegranate and Glazed Pecans?

But surely three pounds of apples for applesauce would be plenty? WRONG.

Because pure genius, that Ina, jazzing up everyday applesauce with raspberries.

I also skipped her brown sugar and butter substituted the more unusual star anise for the commonplace cinnamon. Good calls? BOTH.

This Applesauce Served Plain? Not "Plain" At All

"Plain" understates this applesauce all on its own, because it's hardly plain.

There's that beautiful garnet color, a wee leeeetle bit of citrus, that underlying hint of star anise that gets people to asking, "What's that spice?"

But even "plain", wow, the raspberry really comes through and somehow the apples are simultaneously more sweet and more tart.

Once upon a time, I dubbed a peach, cherry and blueberry combo "Peacherry Blues". The same thing's true here, what a magical combination, apples and raspberries. Hmmm, how about rasppleberries?

Next Up, A Pretty Parfait

Next up, parfaits with chia pudding, a layer of Roasted Applesauce with Raspberries, all topped with orange sections, blueberries and a few Maple-Glazed Pecans.

Gorgeous! I thought. But I had to laugh about my almost 91-year old father's reaction.

HIM, with suspicion, stabbing the fruit: "What's this?"

ME, invoking a familiar and favorite dessert: "It's sort of like tapioca pudding."

He kept stabbing, eating the applesauce and fruit, leaving the chia pudding behind. Heaven help me, feeding a picky eater who prides himself with never complaining.

But you? Off you go! Applesauce with raspberries it is! Chia pudding not required.

What Makes This Recipe Special?

• That color, that gorgeous red color
• An applesauce upgrade, wholly familiar but a little exotic
• A light, fruity dessert to end weekday meals
• Calls for everyday ingredients, no trekking around for something special

But the Truth Is, Homemade Applesauce Is Special

It's not just Ina's applesauce with raspberries. It's the lovely texture, color and sweetness (without added sugar) you get when cooking apples of different colors and textures and even tartness.

Of course, you can buy applesauce at the grocery. It's cheap, it's sweet and frankly, it all tastes exactly the same.

Make applesauce at home, you'll really taste the apples. It's a great choice for a cook who's maybe just getting started with cooking real food instead of buying it in all-the-same jars and boxes.

So check it out, here's How to Make Homemade Applesauce.

Bookmark! PIN! Share!

How do you save and share favorite recipes? recipes that fit your personal cooking style? a particular recipe your mom or daughter or best friend would just love? If Ina's applesauce recipe hits the mark, go ahead, save and share! I'd be honored ...

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ROASTED APPLESAUCE with RASPBERRIES

Hands-on time: 25 minutes
Time to table: 2 hours
Makes 4-1/2 cups

A double batch is recommended! That's extra-easy since frozen raspberries often come in 12-ounce (340g) bags. Good news, applesauce is one of many surprising foods that freeze well.

• Zest and juice of 1 large orange
• Zest and juice (about 2 tablespoons) of 1 lemon
• 6 ounces (170g) frozen raspberries
• 1-1/2 pounds (680g) Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut small
• 1-1/2 pounds (680g) another apple, peeled and chopped roughly
• A sprinkle of star anise (or cinnamon or ginger or nutmeg)
• 1 tablespoon butter, cut into tiny bits

Set the oven to 350F/180C.

In a large bowl, combine citrus zests and juices and raspberries, stirring gently to combine and distribute, helping the berries to begin thawing. Stir in the apple pieces as they're prepped, this prevents them from oxidizing and turning brown. Stir in the star anise, then transfer to a ceramic baking dish. Dot the top with bits of butter.

Bake for 75 minutes, checking and stirring every 15 minutes. The Granny Smith pieces will be soft but intact, the other apples should be very soft and ready to fall apart; visually they'll appear firm, test one piece with the back of a spoon to make sure it's soft enough.

Remove from the oven and transfer back to the large bowl. With a wire whisk, whisk vigorously until the apple pieces disintegrate, stop when you like the texture.

Transfer to covered containers and refrigerate until ready to serve.

MAKE-AHEAD TIPS Make up to a week ahead of time but do know, you might have to make another batch, this one has a habit of disappearing one spoonful at a time!

VARIATIONS Ina's recipe also includes 1/4 cup brown sugar, another tablespoon of butter and a full teaspoon of spice. Yeah, it could be awesome.

ALANNA's TIPS The Granny Smith apples hold up in the heat and don't break down during whisking, so these are the apples that provide the most apple-y texture that's so nice here. But you wouldn't want to use all Granny Smith, they're too tart and too firm. For the second apple, I use Galas, these whisk beautifully into an pink, airy sauce. I'd also use Jonathans, Empires, Golden Delicious (but not Red Delicious) and almost any other apple. I was so surprised that a big whisk could turn a dishful of cooked apples into applesauce, hardly any "elbow grease" required. But hmm, I'm thinking that next time, I'll skip peeling the apples, then run the roasted apples through the food processor. That'd be amazing! Does anyone else find peeling apples totally time-consuming and tedious?! Once I even invested in one of those mechanical apple peelers: not worth the money or space. Update: Grrrr, I had such high hopes for skipping the apple-peeling step! But sorry, the skin pieces burn in the oven and if as if that weren't enough, that rough apple-skin texture just doesn't work here, even after a long whizz in the food processor.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Half Cup: 97 Calories; 1g Tot Fat; 1g Sat Fat; 3mg Cholesterol; 9mg Sodium; 23g Carb; 3g Fiber; 17g Sugar; 1g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS Old Points 1 & PointsPlus 3 & SmartPoints 5 & Freestyle 1 & myWW green 1 & blue 1 & purple 1 CALORIE COUNTERS 100-calorie serving = 1/2 cup (1g protein).

Adapted from Cooking for Jeffrey (affiliate link) by Ina Garten, aka Barefoot Contessa. I've been cooking my way through a library copy. My Disclosure Promise

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Raspberries = February's Favorite Fruit

more
~ raspberry recipes ~

• THE RECIPE Lemon Pudding Cake Tart lemon + juicy raspberries. Or blueberries!
• ANOTHER TAKE Southern Belle Lemon Layer Cake Easy lemony cake with lemony cream cheese frosting.

• THE RECIPE Raspberry & Red Wine Granita An icy-cold raspberry slushee for grown-ups.
• ANOTHER TAKE Sugar-Free Raspberry Bliss A fruity, creamy raspberry dessert, just three ingredients and quick to make.

• THE RECIPE Raspberry-Red Wine Coulis (Reduction Sauce) Sweet-but-tart raspberry sauce, a perfect added-touch for desserts.
• STELLAR WITH Chocolate Decadence Cake The ultimate chocolate experience.

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(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

~ apple recipes ~
~ raspberry recipes ~
~ orange recipes ~
~ lemon recipes ~

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~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, for more scratch cooking recipes using whole, healthful ingredients, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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