Homemade Applesauce

I've been an absentee blogger lately, but I had to stop what I was doing and add this recipe. It is fantastic! The only time-consuming part is peeling the apples, then you just throw everything in the oven and ignore it for awhile. The recipe is adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. I made it to use up a bag of apples we had and immediately ate it warm for dessert after dinner. It has a great autumn flavor.

Zest and juice of 1 large naval orange
Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
7 apples, I used some local British ones
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 large knob of unsalted butter, about the size of a walnut
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Peel, quarter, and core the apples and toss them into a nonreactive Dutch oven or enameled iron pot. (I used a ceramic casserole dish). Add the zest and juice of the orange and lemon half. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and allspice. Cut the butter in 2 or 3 pieces and add to the pot. Cover with a lid or foil. Bake for one hour, or until all the apples are soft. Mash with a fork. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: the Barefoot Contessa's recipe calls for about twice as much butter, but I didn't think it was necessary.