Homemade Apple and/or Pear Sauce

Each fall, when apples and pears come in from our high-altitude growers, we like to make a huge batch of apple sauce or pear sauce, or to mix them together for combined, homemade deliciousness. Even though we make it with our savory broth, the sauce still comes out sweet—it just tastes all-the-richer for having used broth instead of regular old water.

Try it on top of a bowl of yogurt, spread over pumpkin pancakes, as a marinade for pork, or eat it straight out of the jar, like we do.

Ingredients:

• A load of apples and/or pears (you can truly make this with any quantity of the fruit; you simply adjust the amount of broth you use to simmer it)
• 1 jar of Boulder Broth (preferably Bison or Beef, as we find that Chicken does produce too much of a savory flavor for this side dish)
• Coconut oil or ghee
• Extras: Cinnamon, nutmeg, or any of your favorite apple sauce flavorings that pair well with the fall season

Tools:

• Heavy-bottomed pot
• Blender or food processor
• Large spoon

1. You can leave them on, but we prefer to remove the skin off all of the apples and/or pears you'll be using.
2. Then, slice the apples and pears down to medium chunks (about .5-1" is fine—no need to be precious about getting them all exact), removing the cores as you go.
3. Fill a large, heavy pot with all of your prepped chunks of fruit—just enough to fit all of the apples and/or pears, plus an inch or two, at least.
4. Pour your Boulder Broth flavor of choice into the pot, to just a couple of inches. If you add too much, you'll have to strain out a lot at the end, so air on the side of conservative and add as you go, if needed.
5. Simmer on low or medium-low until all fruit has fully softened throughout the pot, stirring every 3-5 minutes. Be careful not to turn the heat up too high, as it will scorch whatever fruit sits on the bottom of the pot. But, if you leave it on too low, it will take a long time to soften the fruit. If you see that the liquid from the broth begins to get too low (barely any in the pot), continue adding a bit more. The goal is to absorb the broth into the fruit in order to soften it, leaving you with very little liquid left at the end, but not too little liquid throughout cooking so as to lose all moistness and scorch the fruit.
6. Once fully soft, turn off the heat on the stove. Then, scoop all of the fruit into your blender. If you have too much to fit at once, you can do it in batches until you're done. If you have too much liquid left, be sure to strain out the fruit as you go, leaving the liquid behind. Or, if there's only a little left, add it in with the fruit to the blender—all that broth flavor is a bonus!
7. Blend until as smooth or as chunky as you'd like—we like to keep a few large chunks in the batch for added texture.
8. Once blended, add to a bowl and dollop in some of your favorite fat, like coconut oil or ghee, to taste. Feel free to use tallow or another nutrient-dense animal fat, but we do find it tends to tip the sauce a bit too savory, overpowering the flavor of the apples and/or pears. Butter would also work, though. Here, you can also add in any of your favorite spices—cinnamon, nutmeg, etc., to your liking.
9. Mix together thoroughly and then add to mason jars. If you don't have too much and you'll eat it before it spoils (several days, at least), no need to do anything else to it. Just pull it out of your fridge to use as needed. If you've made too much to eat in the near future, consider canning it for preservation, like this recipe, starting at Step 5.