If ever there was a fruit that signified a season, it would be the apple for autumn. This is the time of year that brings with it a new harvest of crisp, rosy-and-sunset hued apples ripe for the picking, eating, baking, juicing, blending, and saucing. Anyone with kids knows that the apple can go a long way in the kitchen, whether baked into pies, boiled and tossed in a chinois for apples sauce, or shriveled into those delicious rings in a dehydrator.
One of my childhood favourites was real fruit leather made from unsweetened homemade applesauce. Growing up in the era of Fun Fruits and that sickly sweet fruit roll-up, I spent most of my recess trying to separate the corner of my homemade apple fruit leather from the saran wrap it was baked onto. It could be tricky, but once a strip had been removed (with the utmost satisfaction, like picking a scab), the rest of it was easily peeled off and crammed into my mouth (the fruit leather, not the scab). Slightly tart, pretty chewy and a flat brown in colour, my mom’s homemade fruit leather quickly became a playground bargaining chip – other kids loved it and I’d often trade if for goodies I could never hope to see in my own lunch box (remember when they used to make Crush orange soda in juice boxes? Good god).
Like so many nice things, making it is as simple as a Neil Young song, which I recommend playing while you make this. To create a delicious applesauce with a food processor, I’d investing in a decent apple peeler/corer – the hand crank kind that clamp onto the counter create beautiful spirals with the peels. Peel, core and slice a number of apples, 8 – 10 for a little batch, more if you plan on canning or freezing the rest. You can then sprinkle them with a little lemon juice and cinnamon (or not) and simmer them in a pot with ¼ cup of water (per 12 – 14 lbs of apples) until soft. Transfer to a food processor and pulse until you have the desired consistency – now you’re ready to eat it for dessert or spread on a pork chop.
The applesauce method I use is a little more old-fashioned, but you don’t have to peel and core the apples beforehand. Simply wash and cut your apples into chunks with the skin on and core in, simmer in a pot with a little water (same amount as above), ensuring you stay nearby to stir and prevent burning, until the apples are nice and soft. Transfer in batches to a chinois (or food mill) placed over a bowl and hand press the flesh through with a large wooden pestle.
To make fruit rollup, spread a thin layer of cooled applesauce on a dehydrator tray covered in Saran or a non-plastic based food safe, heat resistant barrier and pop it in the dehydrator for four to six hours at 115 degrees (or until you can see that it’s done). You can also make it in the oven by spreading it on a lightly oiled cookie sheet and baking at the lowest temperature until almost crisp.
