There is a big old apple tree in my next door neighbor’s backyard, but it leans way, way over the fence into our yard, so I like to think that it’s my tree, too.

The blossoms are pale pink and just a bit ruffly and when a breeze comes through they fall all over the chicken coop like fancy snow. I just wish the blossoms turned into tastier apples. Instead of growing into palm-sized Pink Ladies, or Ambrosias, or even Galas, they develop into smallish, ruddy colored fruit that make you suck in your cheeks when you take a bite. The first time I tried one I thought maybe it was just a bad apple, so I tasted another one. And then another one. And I realized that these apples are not for fresh eating. They are applesauce kind of apples. Not too sweet. Definitely tart. And perfect for doctoring up with spices and a bit of sugar.

I usually like to make applesauce in the fall, but the last of the local apple harvest is still available at our Farmer’s Market. So I think that I just might pop over to the market early this Sunday and make roasted apple sauce for brunch. Here’s the recipe so you can, too.

Spiced Roasted Applesauce

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living , November 2007

Roasting the apples with a bit of brown sugar increases the apple-y flavor in this sauce and mellows out any tartness. I reduced the amount of sugar called for in the original recipe and added in a bit of cardamom and nutmeg, because I think they make a happy threesome with cinnamon.

What you’ll need:

¼ cup of water 4 tablespoon. of packed, light brown sugar

1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice

¼ teaspoon of sea salt

2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cubed

10 medium to large apples (use a variety that is a bit tart)

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Instructions

1. Heat your oven to 475 °F. Wash the apples while you wait for the oven to heat up.

2. In a small bowl, whisk the water, brown sugar, lemon juice, and salt together until the sugar and salt dissolve. Then, pour the sugar mixture into the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking pan.

3. Sprinkle the butter into the pan and then top with the apples. Roast until the apples are very smooshy and soft, about 30 to 35 minutes. *

4. Place 2 to 3 apples at a time into a food mill fitted with its medium disk. Place the mill over a large bowl and run the apples through the mill. Once you’ve sauced all the apples, stir in the spices and taste. I like to serve the apple sauce warm with beignets, but it tastes good cold and at room temperature, too.

* If you don’t have a food mill, peel, core and chop the apples before adding them to the pan in step three. Then, after they are roasted, process them in a food processor until smooth.