My daughter surprised me with the most delightful apple cider. And she made it from scratch!
It’s so easy. All you need is apples, a few spices and a slow cooker.
“One day I found a bunch of apples that was at the bottom drawer of my fridge,” she said. “I had forgotten about them. They were kind of old and bruised.
“Instead of throwing them out I decided to make cider.”
Impressive! This is especially since as a kid Alison had never shown any interest in cooking and now a wife and mother she’s become quite a cook, and a frugal one at that.
She once showed me how to cook and pick meat off lobster, keep the shell, legs and feelers to make lobster bisque. (Proud mother talking.)
The cider tasted really good and the added bonus was the wonderful smells wafting from the slow cooker as it brewed. It left such a rich, delicious and festive aroma that I’m now expecting her to make it every Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year celebrations.
As the apples cook slowly the fruit’s natural sweetness is drawn out. We added a little honey and vanilla essence to enhance the flavor but the cider is naturally sweet.
To get the most from the apples, Alison scooped up the apples and strained it through a sieve, squeezing the soft apples and adding its juices to the cider. At my home, we tried using a potato masher to mash the apples even more.
You can just use a fine-wire sieve and press and squeeze the apples with back of a ladle.
I shared this with friends when working on a Christmas event at church. Inspired to made Homemade Cider, my friend June Yoon tried it and loved the results. She also added ginger to the mix. After it cooled, she said her sons added seltzer water to it. How creative!
That day when we were working on the kitchen our chef, Conner Bayless, was heating up some apple cider. He put oranges slices, cinnamon, cloves and allspice to the pot.
Because this cider is such a delight to sip, I served it in small Chinese teacups. That way I had enough to give every guest a delicate taste just before dinner.
Homemade Apple Cider
Preparation time: 5-10 minutes
Brewing time: 4-6 hours
8-10 apples, cored and sliced into quarters
1 tablespoon ground allspice
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
4 sticks cinnamon
1 teaspoon orange extract (optional)
About 4 quarts water
In a large Crock-Pot, place apples.
In a measuring cup, mix a cup of water with allspice, honey and vanilla essence and add to pot. Add cinnamon sticks.
Cover with water until it reaches about two inches above the apples. You’ll have to estimate as the apples will float to the surface. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours.
With a slotted ladle, dish out apples and strain with a a fine-wire sieve , squeezing the apples to draw out its juices. Save the juices and add to cider in pot. Serve hot.
VARIATIONS
–Add these spices:
½ teaspoon whole cloves
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
–Add these fruit:
1 orange, sliced
2 tablespoons, dried cranberry
