Tangy Apple Salad

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS
For the salad:
Spinach
1 tart and crisp apple (like Fuji or Honeycrisp), chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced
1/2 c red onion, chopped
1/3 c dried cranberries
1/4 c sunflower seeds

For the dressing:
2 t lemon juice, fresh squeezed
2 t dijon mustard
2 t honey
1 t balsamic vinegar
2 T olive oil
fresh ground pepper

Smooth Applesauce Using a Chinois

My family has always made enormous amounts of applesauce each fall. We freeze most of it to save for a time when we aren't lucky enough to have lots of tart Michigan apples readily available.

We like smooth applesauce so we've always used a chinois to achieve this. Never used one before? This is what it looks like.

They cost between $30 and $50 and last forever. The conical strainer is especially useful for applesauce because you don't have to peel the apples- everything that isn't perfect, smooth applesauce stays in the strainer. 

Smooth Applesauce

MAKES ABOUT 3 PINTS

INGREDIENTS

Approximately 30 mixed apples (I like Fuji, McIntosh, Jonamac, and Ida Red)

3/4 c water

Cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and sugar to taste

Wash, core, and remove stems from apples. In a large soup pot, boil water, add all of the apples, and boil with the lid on until apples are soft and mushy, approximately 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. 

When the apples are cooked, add two cups at a time to the chinois and use the pestel to strain out the sauce from the apple skins. Remove the skins periodically as they begin to build up on the pestel. 

Strained applesauce will be pink and tart. Add all spices and sugar desired. I usually use a 2 T cinnamon, 1 t cloves, 1 t nutmeg, and 1/2 c sugar.