Compote de Pommes or French Applesauce

This Compote de Pommes or French Applesauce from Dorie Greenspan is a perfect autumn side dish or can be used to fill scrumptious apple turnovers!

Compote de Pommes AKA French Applesauce

My mother-in-law always has a bowl of homemade applesauce cooling on her dining room table when we visit. She uses Golden Delicious apples, and it’s usually necessary to  whip up a second batch before we head home.

SO simple; just peel, core, and chop the apples before simmering with a little water and sugar. So making Dorie’s French version of applesauce, or Compote de Pommes, was a breeze.

Her recipe for compote de pommes called for a wee bit of brown sugar plus a splash of vanilla at the end instead of our typical sprinkle of cinnamon. White sugar to taste sweetens the pot. Seriously, no jarred version can compare. I was excited to test our Dorie Greenspan’s French Applesauce to see how they compared.

Chaussons aux Pommes or Apple Turnovers

I did not find the Courtland, McIntosh or Empire varieties Dorie suggested, but Jonagold worked just fine. I like my sauce a little chunky so skipped the extra step of running it through the food mill.

I also used Dorie’s Bonne Idée and prepared a few apple turnovers,which was as elementary as cutting out puff pastry rounds, dolloping a scant tablespoon of applesauce in the center, folding, sealing and baking. Of course, if you’d like your chaussons aux pommes a little more elegant, just paint with  an egg wash, crimp the edges with a fork and sprinkle with coarse sugar.

After baking  for just 20 minutes at 400º, the puffed beauties were pulled out of the oven.  Both the sauce and the turnovers were eaten with gusto.

Our oldest, Tom, popped over to help Mr. Skinny Chick with some manly chores, changing a headlight bulb, adjusting the ridiculously heavy Big Green Egg, and helping me figure out why my photo editing software wasn’t recognizing my camera. He earned his keep and mounded his plate full of food both my sons tend to do. Plus he happily ate a couple turnovers as well. I am slightly envious of his metabolism. And the hubby decided these were perfectly acceptable for breakfast, too.

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Compote de Pommes or French Applesauce

A French applesauce adapted from Dorie Greenspan, Around My French Table

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Yield 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 pounds (6 medium) apples, preferably red apples like Empire, Cortland or McIntosh
• About 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons butter, for thicker compote (optional)

Instructions

1. Peel and core the apples. Slice each into about 8 pieces. Place in a medium saucepan.
2. Stir in 1/4 cup of water and brown sugar. Cook, stirring frequently over medium-low heat. Continue until the apples are soft enough to be crushed with the back of a spoon. If the pan looks too dry, add a little more water as you cook. This process will take about 15-20 minutes.
3. If you want regular compote de pommes, remove the pan from the heat and run the compote through a food mill. If you prefer chunky applesauce, mash with a potato masher. If your applesauce is too runny, just cook for a few more minutes.
4. Taste and add more sugar if needed. Mix in vanilla and butter. Cover with plastic wrap and chill.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4 servings

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 159 Total Fat: 6g Saturated Fat: 4g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 2g Cholesterol: 15mg Sodium: 48mg Carbohydrates: 28g Net Carbohydrates: 0g Fiber: 2g Sugar: 25g Sugar Alcohols: 0g Protein: 0g