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My fabulous friend Laura has recently hired me to cater some continental business breakfasts. For this morning’s event, I wanted to give her something a little more special and seasonal than boring old fruit cups and bagels. After some recipe surfing, I came up with the idea to do pumpkin chocolate chip mini-muffins (told you I was on a pumpkin kick!), and cups of chunky spiced ginger applesauce.

The muffins weren’t any problem, but the applesauce caused a little drama in my kitchen last night. I bought the wrong kind of apples, because once they simmered. they completely dissolved into an unattractive brown mush.

Off to the store to buy more apples, and some beer for hubby. I must have looked a little odd in the 15-items-or-less lane with my bag of green apples and a six-pack of Shinerbock. The guy in line behind me wondered what the heck I was doing with these unlikely ingredients. When I pondered the idea of combining the two into some sort of dessert — baked apples with a reduced sweet beer syrup, he said “Geez, if it were me, I’d just eat the apples and drink the beer!” Pfft. Neanderthal.

Granny Smiths proved the correct choice second time around. I cooked them just until softened along with some dried cranberries, fresh ginger, brown sugar and spices. It was like a chewable mulled cider; if I could only have added a little rum and flamed it, I would have!

I stirred the new apples into the previous mush and it all came together to create just the right degree of chunk. To serve, I put a big scoop of apples in the bottom of clear plastic cups, spread a thin layer of creamy vanilla yogurt over and scattered some toasted chopped pecans on top for crunch. I must say, they looked lovely in the end – like a healthy breakfast sundae, although if you replaced the yogurt with frozen custard or ice cream, it would make a great fall dessert now that I think about it…

See for yourself!