I decided to move forward with another batch of applesauce, using only the Snarky Sweets so that I could ascertain their cook-down characteristics. I feel like if you know how an apple is going to break down when the heat is applied, you'll know best how to cook with it.
And extra applesauce isn't going to go to waste around here...
I peeled and chopped roughly half my stash, which ended up yielding about 8 cups of apple flesh. Because these apples are already naturally sweet, I decided to forgo the sugar. I figured if the sauce needed some sweetening, I could handle that on an as-needed basis when the time came. Apples and water (2 cups) went into a covered stock pot on medium heat.
And, as I've done with previous batches of applesauce, I periodically stirred the pot. But on about my third visit to the pot (giggle), I noticed that these apples were acting quite differently than I was used to - even though the water was boiling and the apples were heated through, they weren't breaking down. The best I could say is that some of the pieces seemed to be breaking apart into bits, but not really turning into mush. Stirring the apples still required a hefty amount of force as they stubbornly held their constitution together.
I assumed they needed more time.
The pot went dry and the apples started sticking to the bottom.
Feeling that I could learn a thing or two about how "to stick to my guns" from these apples, I added just a little water to the pot so that I could easily stir the mixture again - mostly big pieces and some smaller pieces of Snarky Sweets covered in a light watery glaze. Oh boy.
So, no applesauce from these guys.
A Facebook connection asked if I had considered using the KitchenAid; and the answer to that is no. I didn't want to make it more of a production than it already was - and these apples...I'm telling you: they're not budging.
I updated my status:
Those Snarky Sweet apples are stubborn.
They refuse to be made into sauce.
Hurumph.
And my dear friend responded:
Lol, they sound a little like you.
Hmmm....
