The Doctor is In

Jiffy corn muffin mix

New Yorkers have the most typically American fruit widely available to them; the apple. Apples come in a glorious profusion of shapes, tastes, sizes, and colors that individually have ranges best suited for dishes from the sweet to the savory. Nothing smells more like autumn to me than the scent of apples. It wouldn't be a change of seasons without them. I grew up on a plot of land with the remaining six apple trees* that were part of the farm next door. *http://mariedoucette.blogspot.com/2012/07/treehouse-of-horror.html

Carmelized apples

Every year my grandfather took trips to the still-operational Davies' Farm* for fresh cider and apples. Almost every child of New York has memories about apple picking: whether it was warm that day or it turned cool early, if it was a good yield or the apples were rotted out with wormholes, but mostly you remember being outdoors on a farm with family and enjoying the fun of it. The delights of ripe fruit picked straight off the tree to be savored right then and there is an incomparable treasure that's best learned early, like children do. *http://mariedoucette.blogspot.com/2011/10/fall-harvest.html

A happy bag of apples

With this profusion of fall harvest all around us ready to be savored, the question for every cook becomes "What will I make"? Our meals become pleasurably linked to the seasons in perfect harmony, as each season directly manifests itself in our lives, from the large scale of an orchard to the warm intimacy of your plate.

Corn cakes on the griddle

At least, that's the magic for me whenever I open my fridge to see a brightly-colored package of New York State apples smiling back at me. Apple turnovers are a must and I'll post those later in the week. Yesterday was Apple Turnover Day!  But first I had a couple of boxes of Jiffy corn muffin mix in the pantry. Earlier in the week I used the mix as batter for fried chicken (it didn't quite work out but it was a first try), halving the recipe and saving it for another day. 
 

Fini!

This was that day! I thinned down the refrigerated batter further with more half and half, adding cinnamon and Stevia. Once it was thin enough, the batter went down on the griddle pan just like any other pancake mix, though corn cakes were a first for me. As it cooked, I made a very simple and classic apple topping of apples, butter, and brown sugar. Like the best things in life, great cooking is all about the timing. Once the corn cakes were done, my apple topping was ready, too. I used some of the browned butter from the griddle pan on top of my corn cakes and piled on a portion of the apples. It was a rockin' morning at my house. See how cheerful this looks? Go for it.