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Saturday breakfast in October, at our house, was a pan of biscuits in the oven and the black skillet on the front burner full of fried apples. The apples came from the stand on the county road, a paper sack of whatever was tart that week, and my mother never peeled one of them. The red skins went into the skillet with the rest, and by the time the syrup had cooked down they were the prettiest thing on the table, dark gold wedges with a ribbon of red on every one.
She had one rule about them, and she enforced it. You turned fried apples with a spatula, gently, maybe four times in the whole cooking, and the rest of the time you left them alone. Stirring is what turns them into applesauce. A spoon breaks the soft wedges, the broken pieces give up their juice, and the pan fills with a pale mash instead of whole apples in a dark buttery syrup. If my brother so much as reached for the wooden spoon, it was taken out of his hand.
Why this fried apples works
- Skins on. The skin holds each wedge together while the inside goes tender, and it gives the color and half the flavor. Peeled apples fall apart.
- Lid first, sugar second. Eight minutes under the lid with a splash of water steams the apples soft. The sugar goes in after, so it can cook down to syrup instead of drawing the juice out of raw apples.
- Turned, never stirred. A spatula lifts and flips; a spoon breaks. Fewer, gentler moves mean whole wedges.
- Lemon and salt. A tablespoon of lemon juice and a pinch of salt keep the brown sugar from tasting flat.
Ingredients
Serves 6 as a breakfast side with biscuits. The measurements are in US cups and spoons with grams in brackets.
- 6 tart apples (about 1.1kg), cored and cut into thick wedges, skins on
- 4 tablespoons butter (56g)
- 2 tablespoons water (30ml)
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar (70g)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- A pinch of fine salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (15ml)
- Hot buttermilk biscuits, for serving
Use firm, tart apples that hold their shape when cooked. Soft sweet eating apples collapse long before the syrup is ready. Cut each apple into 8 wedges; thin slices turn to mush.
How to make fried apples
- Core the apples and cut each one into 8 thick wedges. Leave the skins on.
- Melt the 4 tablespoons butter in a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat until it foams.
- Add the apples in an even layer, add the 2 tablespoons water, and cover the skillet with a lid. Cook for 8 minutes without lifting the lid.
- Take the lid off. Sprinkle the 1/3 cup brown sugar, the cinnamon, the pinch of salt and the tablespoon of lemon juice over the apples.
- Cook uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes more, turning the apples with a spatula three or four times, never stirring, until the syrup turns dark and thick and the apples are tender all the way through but still whole.
- Spoon the apples and every bit of syrup over hot split biscuits, or set the skillet on the table beside the eggs.
Tips that make the difference
- Use a skillet big enough to hold the apples in one layer. Piled high, they steam to mush before the syrup can form.
- Turn them with a thin metal spatula, sliding it under a few wedges at a time and flipping.
- If the syrup looks thin at the end, give it two more minutes uncovered. If it starts to catch, add a spoonful of water.
- Taste one wedge before serving. Tarter apples may want a little more brown sugar.
Variations
- Pear and apple. Swap two of the apples for firm pears, cut the same way. Add them with the sugar, not before, because they cook faster.
- Nutmeg. Add 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg with the cinnamon for a warmer, older taste.
- Pecans. Scatter a handful of chopped toasted pecans over the skillet just before serving.
- Supper side. Serve them warm beside roast chicken or a pot roast, the way the old diners did on the blue plate.
Storage and make-ahead
Fried apples keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for 4 days. Warm them gently in a skillet with a spoonful of water so the syrup loosens.
They are very good cold, spooned over oatmeal or plain yogurt, or folded into a pancake batter.
They do not freeze well; the wedges go soft and weepy when thawed.
Frequently asked questions
Why did my fried apples turn to mush?
Three usual reasons: the apples were peeled, they were sliced too thin, or they were stirred. Keep the skins on, cut thick wedges, and turn them with a spatula only a few times.
Do I have to use cast iron?
No, any heavy skillet with a lid works. Cast iron holds a steady heat and gives the syrup a deeper color, which is why the old recipes call for it.
Can I use white sugar?
You can, but brown sugar is what makes the dark syrup taste like caramel. White sugar gives a lighter, plainer syrup.
What do you serve fried apples with?
Hot biscuits for breakfast, first of all. They also go beside scrambled eggs, on pancakes, over vanilla ice cream, and next to a roast chicken at supper.
Skins on, lid first, and keep the spoon in the drawer. Turn them like you mean to keep them whole, and they will be.
Southern Fried Apples (Skins On, Turned Not Stirred)
Old-fashioned Southern fried apples in a cast iron skillet: thick tart apple wedges with the skins on, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and a squeeze of lemon, steamed under a lid then cooked down to a dark syrup and turned gently so they stay whole. Exact amounts and times.
Ingredients
- 6 tart apples (about 1.1kg), cored and cut into thick wedges, skins on
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- A pinch of fine salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Hot buttermilk biscuits, for serving
Instructions
- Core the apples and cut each one into 8 thick wedges. Leave the skins on.
- Melt the 4 tablespoons butter in a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat until it foams.
- Add the apples in an even layer, add the 2 tablespoons water, and cover the skillet with a lid. Cook for 8 minutes without lifting the lid.
- Take the lid off. Sprinkle the 1/3 cup brown sugar, the cinnamon, the pinch of salt and the tablespoon of lemon juice over the apples.
- Cook uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes more, turning the apples with a spatula three or four times, never stirring, until the syrup turns dark and thick and the apples are tender all the way through but still whole.
- Spoon the apples and every bit of syrup over hot split biscuits, or set the skillet on the table beside the eggs.
