Apple Sauce Gone To Heaven

Ingredients

• 8 firm apples
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 6 blades of mace
• yellow peel
• stick cinnamon
• 1 pepper corn
• 4 cloves
• 2 lemons

Instructions

1. Pare the apples, core them, and drop into cold water as you work. Prepare the syrup by combining sugar and water (1 cup sugar to each 2 apples, and 1 cup water to each 2 cups sugar). Bring syrup to a boil and skim clean twice. Add the blades of mace, thin yellow lemon peel, stick cinnamon bits, and one pepper corn. Stick 4 cloves into each apple. When the syrup is at a rolling boil, drop in the apples—they should just cover the pan. Add the strained juice of 2 lemons. Boil hard for 5 minutes, then turn the apples over and simmer until done; they will look clear all through. Remove the apples with a perforated ladle, letting all syrup drain away, and arrange them in a deep glass dish or pile on a glass platter. Continue boiling the syrup until it jellies when dropped on a plate. Dip the syrup by spoonfuls over the apples, letting it harden as you work.
2. Alternative method (easier): Wash and core the apples without peeling. Stick cloves into each, place in an earthen or agate baking dish, add sugar, water, and spices, cover closely, and set in a hot oven. Cook until the apples are soft through, then uncover and crisp a little on top. The peel will be edible and the flavor richer than with boiling, though the dish will not be as decorative.