Winter Breakfast: Warm Applesauce with Cheddar & Almonds
Emma’s post this morning reminded me of one of my favorite, if slightly unusual, breakfasts: warm applesauce, cheddar cheese cubes and toasted whole almonds. The applesauce melts the cheese slightly and the almonds provide a nice crunch. The flavor is tangy-sweet from the applesauce (which must be homemade) melding with the salty richness of the cheddar. If you’ve ever put a slice of cheese on an apple pie, you’ll know why this works!
I’ve tried this with store bought applesauce and it just doesn’t work. The jarred stuff is too sweet, lacking the necessary tang of fresh applesauce. Fortunately, fresh applesauce is easy to make! In a pinch, you can peel, core and cube a few apples (about two per person) and throw them in a sauce pan with a tiny bit of water. Cover with a lid and keep the flame low, stirring frequently until the apples start to soften. Mash slightly with a fork and you’re done!
Applesauce with Cheddar Cheese and Almonds
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1 - 1 1/2 cups
applesauce per person
- 1/4 cup
small cheddar cheese cubes per person
Toasted almonds, to taste
Instructions
To make this, simply but carefully warm some applesauce in a sauce pan (applesauce can scorch easily.) If you don't have toasted almonds on hand, toast a few handfuls in your toaster oven (watch carefully!) or oven until they start to crisp and pop. Pull out immediately.
Ladle the warm applesauce into bowls and scatter the cheddar and almonds on top. If you're really hungry or about to go on a long hike or shovel the driveway, you may want to serve this with a bowl of hot oatmeal, preferably steel cut, sprinkled with brown sugar and cinnamon. This will take the apple pie analogy almost to completion!
Related: Faith’s DIY Applesauce
(Image: Dana Velden)