Southern Fried Apples

October 9, 2016 by Jackie Garvin 42 Comments

Southern Fried Apples is down home cooking at its finest. Sliced apples are cooked in a cast iron skillet in a brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon syrup.

Southern cuisine gets a bad rep for frying too much. Yes, it is true that we fry. Yes, our ancestors use this cooking method intentionally. For one, it’s a quick way to prepare food. If you’ve ever visited us in the summer, we know we just about burn slap up down here. It’s H-O-T! It’s has hot as H-E-double toothpicks. Imagine cooking in that heat with no air conditioning. Yep, you’d be looking for a quick way to get in and out of the kitchen, too. Also, frying adds calories to food. That was important for the survival of our ancestors who didn’t have much food.

Snubbing Southern cuisine for fried foods is culinary elitism at its finest. Please identify a cuisine that never uses frying as a cooking method. I’ll just sit here and mind my business while you think.

I’m still waiting.

Those deep-fried abominations found at carnivals and fairs, such as Twinkies, Snickers, butter, etc. have nothing to do with Southern fare. Somehow, we got blamed for all that. We’re not any responsible for the creation those high-fat, deep-fried, hips-enlarging carnival foods than we are for the creation of carnivals.

Now for a lesson in Southern vernacular. Sometimes when we say fried, we’re not talking about deep-fried. In fact, most of the time we’re not talking about deep-fried. As in the case of Fried Apples, fried is synonymous with sauteed. Sauteed is considered more desirable than fried when , in most cases, it’s the same dad-gum thing. I’ve never heard a single soul slam the French because they saute entirely too much of their food.

Well, Fried Apples are mighty good. Sauteed Apples are good, too. They’re one in the same. We fry them at our house.

Y’all come see us!

Fried Apples

yield: 4 to 6 servings

I leave the apple slices a little on the large side because I want apples cooked in this manner to be somewhat toothsome. Apples tend to fall apart easily when cooked. Slices cut larger will hold up to this cooking method without turning to applesauce. Test the apples for doneness and stop cooking when they reach your desired level of doneness. Fresh lemon juice can be substituted for apple cider vinegar. I used Honey Crisp apples that were gifted to us. Granny Smith is another good variety to use in this recipe. I love to use more than one variety at once if at all possible. I think it makes the flavor better. Serve for breakfast or along side a pork dish for supper.

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, heaping

5 to 6 cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced in eights

Add butter, brown sugar and cinnamon to a large cast iron skillet on medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until butter and sugar have melted. Add apple cider vinegar and stir.

Add apples to skillet and gently fold to coat with sugar mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender. Take care when stirring that you don’t break the apples. Use a gently folding action.

Serve warm.

Fried Apples. Sliced apples cooked in butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Serve for breakfast or along side a pork dish for supper.

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