Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1919-01-21
Apple Sauce Like That I

Apple Sauce Like mat
AUNT Annals TRICK OF TAXING PAINS.
(By Ida r. Fargo.)
"You do make the best apple sauce.
Aunt Annsi''
The Little Guest, coming into the
kitchen where Aunt Anna's deft fingers
swiftly pared and cored tho firm f1esby
fruits Of the apple tree that Pa had just
brought up from down cellar, comment
cd warmly.
"Course she does" affirmed Pa. BE
paused at the sink to get drink OF water
before going out to the barn to curry
Old Bess.
"Pshaw 70 said Aunt Anna. And then,
"Its the apples, Baldwins an Greetings.
Come fall, We store lot In the cellar,
and We have good apple sance all winters
Baldwins an Greenings, both on 'em,
to my way OF thinking, make right good
apple sauce.n
1.-THE best I ever et," said Pa.
He opened the kitchen door. Then be
paused and looked back.
"An' the worst I ever ct, too. Funny
thing IL, both times, the apples came
out'n the same bsrrell"
And Pa shut the door behind him,
sort Of softly, with little repeating echo
about 1t, like chuckle trying to make
itself heard. It's way doors have,
talking like that. It's queer what an
amazing lot of things Q door can say,
when it's being shut. II You don't be.
lieve 1t, just listen right we'll next time
you hear . door shut. II the fairies
didn't miss you entirely, when you slept
in your cradle, you'll hear that door
speak out to you plain Is day! The
Little Guest did, and she smiled an an
swer, not thinking about 1t at all, think
ing elsewhere
"But don't Sec" she said; tout
of the same barrel-."
"That's just like Pa" laughed Aunt
Anna; never explaining Q Bit" And
then:
"Pa's thinking about the time l
sprained my ankle. We had . hired
girl, for good two weeks II was l was
out of my kitohen-my, but II seemed
good to get back! / never realized be-
fore how much thought of my kitchen
I missed 1t like tunket, those two weeks,
sitting around playing lady" unused
Aunt Anna, falling into reminiscent
silence.
"But- 'out'n the same barrelp' "
suggested the Little Guest softly.
"Just as l was sayin'," took up Aunt
Anna, I'VE had hired girl. Hester, her
name was. She came from town to help
me that time. toll her particular that
Pa wanted bis apple sauce cooked just
90, but somehow she never seemed to
be able to get it right. Pa flowed he
never could stomach apple sauce like
that. Not the kind Hester cooked"
"Welll" wondered the Little Guest.
~ thought apple sauce was-just apple
sauce!"
"Of course" agreed Aunt Anna,
Especially If the apples all come out'n
the same barrel. But it amt. There's
a. much knack in making good mess
o. apple sauce as there Is In making q
good pie. Msbby more. Most folks,
when they peel apples, just quarter them
quickly and leave in bits of the core.
Pieces o. peeling, too. Hester did. A
body's sure to less they're that particu.
lar. 1t takes noticing to get out all the
core of an apple. And the bits of hard
core left in, like fakes of isinglass, never
cook up soft. remember once, when
was girl, got scrap of this tough
core wall caught in my throat. I could
MT get it up, and couldn't get 1t down,
not for quite spell. 1t was sharp; 1t
scratched and irritated till my throat
felt like ones fingers do when one pushes
into patch of nettles. For long time
after that couldn't eat apple sauce, not
unless made it myself, to be sure it
was fixed the way apple sauce ought to
be fixed," emphasized Aunt Anna.
1.-THE tough core-wall-al out, /"
unused the Little Guest.
"But that isn't ALL" ripplsd on the
older voice, "if apple sauce Is to be
smooth and even texture, like Pa wants
his'D, the peeling mustn't be left in
either. l read in q cooking magazine
onoet that apples were just as good
cooked peeling on. / tried 1t. After
the first bite, Pa wouldn't touch 1t.
l had to feed it to the pig. Then, too,
apples want to be sliced evenly. Ii they
are left in little chunks and big chunks,
they'll cook up unevenly. The outside
of the big pieces will cook up soft and
burn on the bottom before the .centers
are done. And apple sauce scorched,
even the least mite, isn't nice apple
sauce" nodded the capable hostess.
~ know" FASTENED the Little Guest.
81 scorched some once. 1t burned, just
a little bit, right 10 the middle of the
kettle. And I was 80 careful not to get
any of the scorch in when took it up,
but nobody would eat it," dolefully.
"The flavor was spoiled" advised
Aunt Anna. "Scorched apple sauce is
poor stuff. A body must keep an eye
ont when it's cooking"
$50 1t will not be lumpy-and never
be burned-not even tiny bit," muir
INJURED the Little Guest.
"And beat 1t up with potato mssher, ="
added Aunt Anna.
"Wha-t?" stsmmered the girl.
"a wire potato mssher," affirmed she
who could cook, $50 that there will be
no Jumps, and the texture be even. Be-
sides, q potato masher stirs in the sugar
better'n spoon"
"But don't you cook the sugar with
the apples?"
Aunt Anna shook her head. "Never,"
she said. 'Stir the sugar in afterwards,
while the apple sauce is hot. 1t takes
less sugar that'way, and 1t 10 more d.
gestible, they do say. But sometimes /
use corn syrup instead of sugar, and then
l do 1t like this: take q pint of water,
and enough corn syrup to sweeten 1t as
like best, and bring it to q boil. Then
| tbicken it very little bit with corn.
starch, so 1t is like good thick cream.
Then put in my sliced apples. bring to
boil, pull to the back Of the stove and
simmer till the fruit is tender and rich
red-looking with syrup that is rich
and thick and simply delicious. But
apple sauce like this never STIR"
"What lot there 10 to learn about
cooking, even apple sauce" sighed the
Little Guest. II supposed anybody
could cook-apple sauce!"
$50 did Hester" laughed Aunt Anna.
"And she made the worst Pa ever ct"
giggled the girl.
"Pa oughtn't to be saying such
thipgs," chided Pas wife, "just cause
be couldn't eat apple sauce-like that"
"But know we'll and good he will eat
apple sauce-like this" shifted the
Little Guest, ~ the apples Aunt Anna
bad peeled sent aspicy cooking fragrance
out into the kitchen air, land so will l.
Aud when I 60 home shall take pains
oh, such . lot OF pains-oookiDg some
apple sauce for us. Maybe we'll all
come to like II. Who knowsp We don't
now. Not the way We have L.. Why,