Recipe: Apple Sauce With Bacon (Æbleflæsk)

This is a wonderful specialty we eat at Christmas time. It is a regional dish, and is prepared differently in different parts of Denmark. This a family recipe, passed to me from my mother.

Serves 4
    •2 pounds apple, fresh and very sour, we call them "food apples," not Granny Smiths
    •1 cup water
    •1 to 2 tablespoons sugar
    •3 sprigs fresh thyme
    •300 grams of apple-smoked bacon
    •salt and freshly ground pepper Peel and dice the apples. Put the apples, water, sugar, and thyme into a large saucepan, bring to a boil, and then reduce to simmer for 20 minutes or until it is like a thick apple sauce.

Cut the bacon into cubes. Fry the bacon until golden, then take 1 tbsp of the bacon fat and add to the apple sauce, season the applesauce with salt and pepper.

Eat warm with rye bread.