Homemade Applesauce with Cardamom, Cinnamon, and Brown Butter

Most of us know applesauce as something mild and nondescript to be spooned out of a bottle--or, if you're a kid, from a little plastic container in your school lunch bag. Me? I associate it with pork chops and potato latkes. I know. I know. But our family was never the most observant Jewish household in L.A.

If you've never attempted to make your own applesauce you should give it a try. First of all, it's ridiculously easy and tastes so much better than the jarred stuff. Second, by adding flavors you'd never have associated with so humble a dish you can elevate it into something actually memorable and irresistible. How about rosemary? Or savory? Or horseradish? Okay, how about brown butter, cardamom, or a liqueur, such as Calvados or Cointreau?

That's where I went. I had a refrigerator bin filled with a variety of traditional and heirloom apples--Caville Blancs, Golden Russets, Winesaps, Granny Smiths, Honey Crisps, and this gorgeous vibrant Hidden Rose--all of which I thought would be perfect for applesauce.

The Hidden Rose variety is grown at Dragon Berry Farm in Oregon and sold in San Diego at Specialty Produce.

What better dish to make on a chilly stormy Sunday when comfort food was on my mind. The result was a smooth, rich, even complex sauce I can't stop lapping up.

The basics are, well, pretty basic. If you have a food mill, you don't even have to peel the apples, just quarter and core them, and chop into one-inch pieces.

Toss into a large heavy pot, add water, some cinnamon sticks, cardamom seeds, brown sugar, and a dash of the liqueur. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the apples are soft and mushy.

You'll have sugary leftover liquid, which you can toss--or find a way to use, perhaps boil down to a syrup. Remove the cinnamon sticks. Then use a slotted spoon to move the solids little by little into the food mill and grind away into a bowl. No food mill? Peel the apples, follow the other directions, and when they're all cooked, put them in a food processor. Brown the butter and swirl it into the mixture. Before you know it, you'll have a stunning bowl of soulful applesauce. Eat it warm, add it to muffins or cakes. You can even freeze it for eating or baking with later.

Cardamom and Brown Butter Applesauce
Makes about six servings
(printable recipe)

3 pounds mixed variety of apples, cored and chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons Calvados or Cointreau (optional)
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 sticks cinnamon
1 tablespoon cardamom seeds
1 tablespoons butter

Combine all ingredients except the butter in a large, heavy pot. Bring to a boil, stirring periodically. Reduce heat to medium and continue simmering (and stirring once in a while) until the apples turn soft and mushy--about 25 minutes.

Remove from heat and let cool. Remove the cinnamon sticks. While the applesauce cools, make the brown butter by heating the butter in a small saucepan or skillet on low to medium heat until the butter turns a soft brown--about three minutes. Remove from heat.

Using a large slotted spoon, scoop some of the apples into the food mill, set over a large mixing bowl. Turn the handle on the mill and work the apples through the mill, periodically scraping the sides to move the apples down to the blade and scraping the underside of the mill to get all the applesauce into the bowl. Continue scooping apples into the food mill and pureeing them until the pot is empty. Add the brown butter and mix well.

Applesauce can be frozen.

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Invite a Boar to Dinner

A meal of boar sounds so exotic. So wild. So feral.

And, yes, that would be true if we were talking wild boar. But, in fact, a domestic boar is simply an intact male pig. As opposed to barrows, or castrated pigs. And, in case you're wondering, female pigs can be either gilts--never bred--or sows--those females that have had at least one litter.

Meet a boar. Photo courtesy of Dave Heafner

So, now that we've clarified that, on to the boar. Dave Heafner of Da-Le Ranch in Lake Elsinore and a longtime farmers market vendor is now selling boar meat from animals he and his family are raising. Since they're processing the boar at a custom facility, he's not allowed to sell individual pieces so he's selling them in packages of eighths, quarters, halves, and whole. A quarter, for instance is $6.75 a pound and generally runs between 25 and 35 pounds. Cuts can include neck bones, shoulder roast, shoulder steaks, pork chops, tenderloin, ribs, belly, leg roast, leg steaks, shank, foot, jowl, sometimes organs (if requested), and even sausage. Yes, that's a lot of meat -- but families have been known to get together and share orders.

Dave sent me some samples of chops that he cut up for his family and last week I prepared one simply indoors on my stovetop grill, accompanied by a savory apple pumpkin chutney, made with Jackie's Jams pumpkin butter, fresh sage leaves, and honey crisp apples from Smit Orchards.

This particular chop was about 11 ounces, so it was large enough for me to enjoy for two meals but some of the chops are smaller and suited for one portion. They come frozen, so defrost overnight in the refrigerator and then let it sit for about 20 minutes at room temperature before grilling. I just added salt and pepper to each side before putting it on the heat.

Give it about five minutes on each side. While it's cooking you can prepare the chutney. You'll be sauteeing the sliced apples with sliced red onions and sage leaves in olive oil. Then add a couple of splashes of Madeira and a pinch of salt.

Pull the chop off the grill and let it rest. Then remove the apples from the heat and stir in a couple of tablespoons of the pumpkin butter, which includes the piquant spices you associate with a chutney, and mix it up.

I cut off the long strip of fat along the side but the rest of the fat within the chop seemingly melted away, leaving a tender, moist, sweet piece of meat with far more flavor than the plastic-wrapped chops you'll find in the supermarket. The apples, onions, and pumpkin butter add an earthy, tangy sweetness that's intensified with the Madeira. It's truly a cozy fall meal, even better served with bitter sauteed greens like Swiss chard or kale.

Grilled Boar Chops with Apple Pumpkin Chutney
Printable version
Serves 2

Typically, chutney is a mix of fruit with spices and herbs. And that's what you'll find here, except that since the pumpkin butter already is filled with cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg, there's no need to add any more spices. I added common sage from my garden to give some warm pungency. Plus, sage is known for aiding in the digestion of fatty foods and is the perfect--and traditional--accompaniment to pork.

2 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced thin
2/3 cup red onions, sliced
6 fresh sage leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
A couple of splashes of Madeira
Pinch of salt
4 tablespoons Jackie's Jams Pumpkin Butter

1. Oil the grill and heat to high. Season the chops with salt and pepper and place on the grill. Cook about five minutes on each side for medium doneness.

2. Heat olive oil in a saute pan and cook the onions at medium heat until they just turn brown. Add the apple slices and sage and cook for five minutes.

3. As the apples soften, add a couple of splashes of Madeira and a pinch of salt. Turn up the heat to medium high and continue cooking until the apples start to brown. Add a tad more liquid if the mixture dries out. You want the liquid to just evaporate when done.

4. Remove the chops from the heat and let rest. Remove the apple mixture from the heat. Stir in the pumpkin butter. Plate the chops and serve with the chutney.



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Fall Fest: Wheat Berry Salad with Apples and Pomegranates

Last week, San Diego had a record-breaking heat wave. This week it's chilly, overcast drizzly days. I wasn't convinced at all last week that I could create a fall salad for Fall Fest, but I'm certainly in the mood now.

In with my favorite honey crisp apples. In with those classically aphrodisiac pomegranates. It looks like peaches and berries are a just glance over the shoulder now.

I first discovered wheat berries -- which are the entire unprocessed wheat kernel -- about 10 or so years ago when I attended a Canadian travel conference in Pasadena. The event featured a luncheon prepared by Canadian chefs. The first course was a crunchy wheat berry salad and I was in love. Back then it wasn't easy to find wheat berries, and no one that I came across really knew how to cook them. Follow the directions on labels and you could be boiling them for hours.

Not necessary. Instead of a 3-to-1 ratio of water to grains which I've seen on package labels, I do 2-to-1 with the typical bring to a boil, cover and simmer routine. After an hour, they've got a nice bite and are ready to go.

Today, I combined the berries with apples, pomegranates, a jalapeno, and toasted walnuts. It's got a little sweetness, a little tartness, some mild heat, crunch, and a rich autumn flavor.

Wheat Berry Salad with Apples and Pomegranate Seeds
(printable recipe)
Serves 6

1 cup wheat berries
2 cups chicken stock (or water)
1/2 cup walnuts (halves or pieces)
Seeds from 1 pomegranate
1 crisp apple, skin on, chopped
3 scallions, both green and white parts, sliced
1/2 small red onion, diced
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine wheat berries and chicken stock in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for an hour. After an hour most of the liquid should be absorbed and the wheat berries should have an al dente bite to them.
2. While the wheat berries are cooking, toast the walnut pieces in the oven or a toaster oven. Remove when slightly brown and let cool.
3. Remove the seeds from the pomegranate (Fill a medium-size bowl with water, break the fruit apart, and pull the seeds out, letting them drop into the water. The seeds will sink to the bottom and the rest of the fibrous material that separates the seeds will float to the top; discard the floaters, and drain the seeds into a colander to dry.)
4. Add olive oil to a saute pan, heat, then add the garlic, onion, and jalapeno. Saute for about 5 minutes until the onions just start to turn color. Add a little more oil and the balsamic vinegar. Keep over the heat briefly as you stir to mix. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. In a large bowl, add the cooked wheat berries, the walnuts, apples, pomegranate seeds, scallions, and cooked onions/garlic/chile. Mix well. Let sit for about an hour to let the flavors come together. Taste and adjust seasonings. You may want to add more vinegar, salt, or pepper. Then serve.

So, let's see what other salads are included in this week's Fall Fest:

Michelle at Cooking Channel: 5 Fab Fall Salads
Liz at Healthy Eats: 5 Favorite Fall Salads
Alison at Food2: Fall Salads, Deconstructed
Gilded Fork: Red & White Salad with Candied Pears, Figs & Chevre
Caroline at Caroline at the Wright Recipes: Salt-Roasted Beet and Potato Salad
Margaret at A Way to Garden: Why Beets Make the Salad
Cate at SweetNicks: Bleu Cheese and Walnut Salad with Maple Dressing
Paige at the Sister Project: Chopped Salad That's Also an Hors D'Ouevre 
Nicole at Pinch My Salt: Spinach Pomegranate Salad with Apples and Walnuts
Alana at Eating From the Ground Up: Kale Salad
Todd and Diane at White on Rice Couple: Arugula Salad with Figs and Bacon

Now It's Your Turn to Join Fall Fest 2010!
This collaborative effort won't be much fun without you! The more info we all give, the more we'll all enjoy fall's harvest. Have a recipe or tip that fits any of our weekly themes? You can contribute in various ways, big or small.

• Contribute a whole post, or a comment—whatever you wish. It’s meant to be fun, viral, fluid. No pressure, just delicious. 
• Simply leave your tip or recipe or favorite links in the comments below a Summer Fest post on my blog any upcoming Wednesday, and then go visit my collaborators and do the same.

The cross-blog event idea works best when you leave your recipe or favorite links (whether to your own blog or someone else’s) at all the host blogs. That way, they are likely to be seen by the widest audience. Everyone benefits, and then we're all cooking with some great ideas. Or go big: Publish entire posts of your own if you wish, and grab the big Fall Fest 2010 pumpkin badge above (illustrated by Matt of Mattbites). We'll also be tweeting using #fallfood as our hashtag. Here's the schedule:

Sept. 1: Sweet and Spicy Peppers
Sept. 8: Garlic
Sept. 15: White (or colorful “white”…but not sweet) Potatoes
Sept. 22: Spinach
Sept. 29: Apples
Oct. 6: Fall Salads
Oct. 13: Pumpkin and Winter Squash
Oct. 20: Pears
Oct. 27: “Mad Stash” (as in what you’re freezing/canning/drying, etc.)
Nov. 3: Root veggies
Nov. 10: Brassicas: incl. Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower, Cabbage or other
Nov. 17: Sweet Potatoes
Nov. 24: Bounty to Be Grateful For

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