An Apple By Any Other Name . . .

When I was in grade school, an elderly Southern woman introduced me to fried apples. She made them the Southern way, with an unconscionable amount of sugar and I could not eat enough of them.

I still love them today. The name fried apples seems wrong to me. It conjures up an image of deep-frying. I usually call them cooked apples or skillet apples. Whatever you call them, they are delicious.

This is a very forgiving recipe. If you look at other recipes, you'll find that they run the gamut from no sugar to 1 cup of sugar! I'll just point out that you should know your apples. And if you don't, then taste one. If it's sour, like a Granny Smith, go a little heavier on the sugar. If it's a Fuji, you don't need much sugar. You can taste as you go, so start with the least reasonable amount of sugar and add more to suit your taste.

You can cut the apples any way you want. Slice them thin like I did, or slice them thick. Or cut them into chunks. It doesn't matter as far as the flavor goes. Of course, the thicker they are, the longer it will take for them to cook. I used dark brown sugar, which was what that sweet elderly lady used way back when. I think it gives them just the right flavor. But if you happen to be out, I doubt that anyone will complain if you use regular sugar.

I love these on French toast or with pancakes. They're delicious on your oatmeal in the morning, too! Or serve them warm over ice cream as a quick dessert. In the south, they're also a side dish.

Skillet Apples

2 to 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 to 6 medium apples

1 teaspoon dark brown sugar for each apple

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon per apple

a pinch of nutmeg 

Peel, core, and slice the apples. Place the butter in a skillet and melt. Add the apple slices and top with the cinnamon, nutmeg, and dark brown sugar. Turn to combine. Cook until soft, stirring occasionally.