Ina's Homemade Applesauce

My sister, Jeanie, used Ina Garten's recipe and made this last week. SO good! It's really simple and makes the whole house smell good while it's in the oven. And who doesn't love that?

2 large navel oranges, zested and juiced
1 lemon, zested and juiced
3 pounds Granny Smith apples (about 6 to 8 apples)
3 pounds sweet red apples, such as Macoun, McIntosh, or Winesap (about 6 to 8 apples)
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Place the zest and juice of the oranges and lemon in a large bowl. Peel, quarter, and core the apples (reserving the peel of 2 of the red apples) and toss them in the juice. Pour the apples, reserved apple peel, and juice into a nonreactive Dutch oven or enameled iron pot. Add the brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and allspice and cover the pot. Bake for 1 hour, or until all the apples are soft. Remove and discard the red apple peel. Mix with a whisk until smooth, and serve warm or at room temperature.


Tip:
Some people like their applesauce to be very spicy, while others prefer a milder sauce. My Jeanie always says "there's no such thing as too much cinnamon", but I like the apples to shine more than the spice. So, it's your call.
Oh, and about the picture...Miss Ina always likes to garnish with whatever is in the dish so people can see what they're eating, but I garnished with blueberries (even though there are no blueberries in the recipe). I just thought they looked nice next to the blue background.