Cranberry Applesauce
Colorful Cranberry Applesauce- Wonderful Holiday Side Dish
Cranberry Applesauce is a delicious side dish that is perfect for the holidays. The red color adds to the holiday table and it is a great accompaniment for the holiday turkey or ham.
I was in the mood to experiment in my kitchen and I had some apples that needed to be cooked up. I love cranberries and also had some in my freezer so I decided to try mixing the apples with the cranberries. I decided to add a bit of cloves to flavor the dish and used Splenda to keep down the calories. The result was a healthy and delicious dish that I really enjoyed. I have served it time and again, especially around the holidays.
photo by mbgphoto
Would you mix cranberries and applesauce?
When I was creating my new recipe, my husband said "Where did you get the idea of combining applesauce and cranberries? Why did an idea like that even come into your head?". He likes his applesauce and he likes cranberries, but he wants them each separate. What do you think?
Do you like the idea of cranberry applesauce?
Here are the ingredients and the instructions on how I made my cranberry applesauce. I made a small batch to try it the first time but you could easily multiply the amounts of the ingredients for larger batches
Ingredients
- 4 apples -peeled
- cored and cut into chunks
- 1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup Splenda/or sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
Instructions
- Add all ingredients together in a small pot. Cook until apples are soft enough to mash (about 10 minutes). Mash to desired texture. Cool. Store in refrigerator.
Cooking the Cranberry Applesauce
You want to cook the apples and cranberries until you can easily mash them into the sauce. I find that it takes about 10 minutes for the apples and cranberries to cook to the right consistency. After about 8 minutes I get out my masher and try mashing the mixture while it is still cooking. If it mashes easily I remove it from the heat and go to the next step. If the apples still seem rather firm I will continue to cook them a few minutes longer.
Mashing the Cooked Apples and Cranberries
You should mash the mixture until it is the consistency that you enjoy. I like mine with a few lumps but if you like yours smoother just mash a bit longer. It will seem a bit runny at first but as the applesauce sits it will absorb more of the liquid. The first time I made this I was unsure if I was doing it right, but I soon found out you really can't mess it up. Sometimes it is more runny than others, but always a taste treat!
Potato Masher great for Applesauce too - applesauce masher
I love using this type of masher for my applesauce. It makes the process work really smooth.
Holiday Serving Bowl - winterberry design.
This is the bowl I used to serve my cranberry applesauce during the Christmas holiday season. It is very festive for the holidays and a great accompaniment to your holiday meals.
