Ingredients Fruits Apple Homemade Applesauce with Chinese Five-Spice Be the first to rate & review! The key to making delicious applesauce, says butcher Erika Nakamura, is using fresh apples and adding enough lemon juice to offset their sweetness. Adding Chinese five-spice allows for a more savory flavor, which is ideal when serving the applesauce alongside roast meats. Slideshow: More Apple Recipes By Erika Nakamura Updated on December 1, 2017 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Abby Hocking Active Time: 30 mins Total Time: 2 hrs Yield: 8 Ingredients 3 allspice berries 3 whole cloves 1/2 tablespoon fennel seed 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns 1/2 cinnamon stick 1 star anise 6 Granny Smith apples—peeled, cored and thinly sliced 6 McIntosh apples—peeled, cored and thinly sliced 7 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons light brown sugar 2 tablespoons unsalted butter Flaky sea salt Directions Preheat the oven to 350°. Wrap the allspice, cloves, fennel seed, black peppercorns, cinnamon stick and star anise in a small piece of cheesecloth. Using twine, tie the cheesecloth into a bundle. In a large bowl, toss the apples with 6 tablespoons of the lemon juice and the brown sugar. In a large Dutch oven, melt the butter. Add the apples and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until they begin to let off moisture, about 5 minutes. Put the spice bundle in the pot, cover and transfer to the oven. Bake for about 1 hour and 30 minutes, until the apples have softened. Discard the spice bundle. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to the apples, season with sea salt and stir until a chunky sauce forms. Scrape the applesauce into a bowl and serve warm or cover and refrigerate until chilled. Make Ahead The applesauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Rate it Print