If you’re going all out with a Southern breakfast spread, there’s one dish you might not realize you’re missing: fried apples. These delicious, cinnamon-sweetened delights add the perfect balance of comfort and coziness to a sleepy Sunday morning. They're also a sweet counterpoint to a meal that's otherwise likely to be salt-heavy, with typical breakfast meats, grits, gravy and other Southern staples.
Serve the apples over biscuits or cornbread, or whip them up as a topping at your next sundae bar. The possibilities are endless. Just make sure you don’t overcook them, or the magical texture of tender-yet-firm will be lost, and you’ll be left with applesauce instead.
Southern-style Cooked Apples
5
10 minutes
10 minutes
20 minutes
4 Granny Smith apples
Juice of 1 lemon
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup white sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Peel and core the apples, and cut them into slices about ¼-inch thick. Place the apple slices in a bowl, and add the lemon juice. Stir to coat every slice.
Place a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter. After the butter has completely melted, add the apples and lemon juice. Simmer until most of the liquid has cooked off or been absorbed by the apples, about five to six minutes. Note: The apples should maintain their shape, yet be slightly tender when you pierce them with a fork.
Add the sugars and honey, and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook an additional minute or two, until the sugar has completely dissolved.
Remove the apples from the heat, and add the cinnamon. Stir one final time, and serve it immediately.
