2 Sisters et 1 Cat, de Taïwan à Québec: Homemade Honey Applesauce (自製蜂蜜蘋果醬)

In a place so cold like Quebec, there really aren't so many fruits around after October. But luckily, it has one of my favorites - apples! There are so many different varieties of apples here. I have seen several kinds in New York, but occasionally in Quebec I will see some rare local varieties (for example, see my post on Marché Jean-Talon 2).

(閱讀中文請看續文)

When you have a large amount of apples, this recipe is a great way to use them, and it's not difficult to make at all! Just like fresh apples, this apple sauce contains a great amount of fiber and is also anti-inflammatory and an excellent source of antioxidants. Not only does it make a healthy, delicious snack for both adults and youngsters, it's also a great compliment to plain yogurt, ice cream, bread, pancakes, or waffles. And of course, you can use it in baking as well to help sweeten and moisten your baked goods.

Well, I can go on and on and on about how great homemade apple sauce is and why you should make it, but you really have to taste it yourself to know how much better it is compared to the store-bought ones.

In this recipe, I suggest using softer varieties of apples, like Macintosh. This is because they break down very easily while cooking and you don't even have to blend them. Of course, if you like the texture chunkier, you can try another kind of apple, like Jonagold , Cortland or Granny Smith, or you can mix varieties, if you wish. Just note that you may need to cook it slightly longer in that case.

Homemade Honey Applesauce (Makes about 2 1/2 cups)

4 large or 5 medium-sized apples, like Macintosh Gala, or Jonathan (or any other varieties)

A: 1 T lemon juice

2T honey

1/4 C water

1. Peel and core the apples and cut them into 3/4" chunks.

2. Place the apples in a medium sauce pan with ingredients A and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to low, cover and cook for about 30 minutes until the whole mixture is soft. Stir occasionally during cooking or the bottom might burn. Once cooked, you can simply enjoy it as is (or if you prefer a smoother texture, please go to the next step). Store it in a sterilized jar as you would jam (see my Strawberry-Vanilla Jam recipe for details). Flip the jar and let it sit upside down until cool and a vacuum forms. Seal the top by pressing down the center of the lid and store it in a cool place. Refrigerate after opening.

3. Puree the cooked apples until smooth (here's when one of those hand blenders comes in handy!) , or if you prefer the texture somewhere in between, puree and pulse just for a few times. This would make a wonderful baby food as well, just use 1 T honey instead of 2. (refer to step 2 for storing the sauce.)

(Want more photos? See below after Chinese text.)

在魁北克這種寒冷的地帶，冬季水果的種類可以説相當的少，大部分都是美國進口的，不過幸運的是還有我喜歡的蘋果，而且種類還出乎意料的多。

自製蘋果醬很簡單之外，也不需要太多的材料。它含有豐富的纖維，也是很好的抗氧化劑來源。除了可以用在烘烤甜點上，也是老少賢宜的健康點心，可以搭配冰淇淋，原味優酪乳，麵包，可麗餅或煎餅…等等，連發胖的捧油們也可以猴嗨森的大口大口安心吃喔！

自製蜂蜜蘋果醬

4 個大顆或5個中型的蘋果

檸檬汁 1 大匙

蜂蜜 2大匙

水 1/4杯

1. 先削去蘋果皮再切半，去除中間的梗及籽後切成大約3/4吋的塊狀。

2. 將切好的蘋果和A放入一中型的鍋內，煮滾後關小火並蓋上鍋蓋煮到水份稍微縮乾，蘋果塊也變軟約30分鐘，這之間偶爾攪拌一下底部才不會焦。(若使用的蘋果比較硬，需要延長烹煮的時間煮到軟為止。）可以像果醬一樣 (請參考草莓香草果醬)，把它儲藏入消毒過的罐子中，並以倒立的方式放到涼，讓空氣跑出來後用手指擠壓罐蓋的中心即可，儲存在陰涼處，開封後務必放冰箱。若是想要較細較光滑的質感，請繼續看下一個步驟。