Applesauce I (p. 216) and Kumquat compote (p. 225)

Applesauce I (p. 216) was a recipe that had been on my to-make list for a long time. My method of grocery shopping is to flip through TJOC, make a list of all the recipes I think look interesting, and buy ingredients for those recipes at the store. I had bought the apples for applesauce about ten times without ever getting around to making the recipe. I figured it was finally time.

I use our apple corer all the time but never for apples. It's a really good way to quickly slice up a potato if you don't mind having one wedge that is a cylinder (I don't). This time, though, the corer got used for Empire apples.




The apples were combined with a little water, some lemon juice, and half a cinnamon stick.

(As an aside, I learned a lot from the wikipedia entry on cinnamon sticks. Apparently, cinnamon sticks are the inner bark of the cinnamon tree rolled into quills.)



When the apples started to fall apart, I added brown sugar. Eventually the sauce thickens.




I don't have a final picture, but I used the immersion blender to make the applesauce more smooth. Delicious! The cinnamon flavor wasn't very strong, which was great, because it's one of my least favorite spices. And it was really easy.

I've been trying to knock items off the randomized list as fast as I can because I really want to make a new list (it's exciting to see what's on it!). One of the pages included Oranges in syrup and Kumquat compote (p. 225). I had never had a kumquat before and, to be honest, I know nothing about them. How do you even pronounce kumquat? TJOC says that they aren't actually citrus fruits, which is bizarre, because they look, smell, and taste like tiny, strong oranges. And they can be eaten whole, which is terrific because it would be really difficult to peel such tiny fruit.

Kumquat compote only had three ingredients so I decided to make it. Two cups of kumquats went into cold water and were brought to a boil.



They were then drained and sliced. Any seeds were removed (a pain, the seeds were really small). Two cups of water and a cup of sugar were combined and brought to a boil, then the kumquats were added.



About five minutes later, the compote was done. Delicious! Nice and sugary. Much like the pickled grapes, this is a recipe that quickly disappears. Josh liked to use some of the compote in his smoothies and said it brightened all the flavors.