Adele's Applesauce Custard

4 eggs

2 cups whole milk or almond milk

1 ½ cup applesauce or about 6 apples

¾ teaspoon cinnamon, 1 /4 teaspoon cloves,1/2 teaspoon  nutmeg, 1 teaspoon vanilla, ¾ teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar or 1/2 cup honey

If you are using fresh apples, begin by peeling and chopping the apples and cooking them in a small amount of water over a low heat. The apples do not have to be completely cooked, but they should be soft. Some varieties of apples will become sauce more easily than others.  Either sauce or chunks of apple are OK for this recipe.

When the apples are cooked, spread them in the bottom of an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 glass baking dish. Sprinkle a small amount of the sugar or honey and cinnamon over the apples.

In a glass bowl, beat the eggs, milk, sweetener and spices. Pour this mixture over the apples, and place the glass dish on a cookie sheet (with edges) on the middle rack of the oven. Set the temperature to 325 degrees. There is no need to preheat the oven. Pour about 2 cups of water into the cookie sheet. The water helps the custard to cook a little more slowly and evenly. You may need to add more water during baking if it all evaporates.

Bake for 1 hour or until the middle is set.  Cool and serve as a dessert or a snack. You could drizzle it with warm caramel sauce or you could top with whipped cream, but it is quite delicious without anything added. It will keep nicely in the refrigerator for a couple of days.

Fail early, fail often in order to succeed. Author unknown