I’ve been eying this recipe for quite a while, and finally made it happen after rounds and rounds of procrastination. 🤪 According to what I read, fried apples is a classic breakfast and side dish of Southern cuisine (of USA). This recipe of mine is by no means authentic, as it has some twist added such as speculaas (speculoos/biscoff) spice, smoked bacon and using honey while giving the sugar a skip. Cooked apples are sweeter than its raw form, so you don’t have to put lots of sweetener in it. You can even skip the honey if you want to.
Speculaas fried apples with smoked bacon & honey. Yum-yum. 🍎🥓🍯
Let’s cook!
First, cook bacon bits until crispy in a heated cast-iron skillet. I’m using my own homemade apple smoked bacon. Just chop up the bacon strips. Please use 100g of bacon if possible, or you’ll regret it. I used half of it and immediately cried a river!
Scoop the crispy bacon bits into a bowl. I don’t mind all the fat, but if you do, place a kitchen paper towel over the bowl/plate.
Quarter the peeled apple, remove the stem and seeds, and slice into 8 pieces in total. We want them to be almost equal size so that they cook evenly.
Place the sliced apples in a large plate. Add speculaas spice and lemon juice and give it a few good rub.
In medium-low heat, add apples to the skillet of bacon fat, and cook until tender (but not too soft). Stir from time to time. Midway, add butter and salt and give the content a good mix. Yes, I overfilled the skillet as I only have one cast-iron skillet size, but once cooked down, they fit quite alright.
To check if it’s the kind of texture you prefer, give it a try. Personally, it should be soft and yet crunchy. If they’re good, turn off the heat and mix in raw honey. If you want to serve right in the cast-iron, just scatter crispy smoked bacon bits on the fried apples. If not, plate it first. The two advantages of using cast-iron to serve are you keep the apples warm and you save washing one dish. 😉
The fried apples are tangy, sweet, soft and yet still has crunch, with the warm rustic flavor of speculaas spice completing the profile. When I first bite into the bacon bits together with the fried apple, I got a jolt in my mouth. Wow wow wow, so good! And it continues to mesmerize my senses.
There are many ways to serve this dish. You can eat it on its own as breakfast or snack, as topping like this one on my very last speculaas rum wholemeal banana bread slice, or as the side dish for meat and fish.
Speculaas fried apples with smoked bacon & honey is so delish! Do give it a try, ok?
Tip: Feel free to add molasses sugar or replace honey with it to create other flavor profiles.
Speculaas Fried Apples With Smoked Bacon & Honey
Adapted from Group Recipes
500g Fuji apples (about 2 pieces), peeled, quartered, cored & cut into 8 pieces total
1 1/2 teaspoon speculaas spice
1 or 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, personally prefer 1/2 teaspoon
100g smoked bacon bits
15g butter
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon raw honey
Method:
1. In a heated cast-iron skillet, cook smoked bacon bits until crispy. Place bacon on a bowl/plate but leave bacon fat in the skillet.
2. Coat apples with speculaas and lemon juice.
3. Add apples to the skillet of bacon fat, and cook over medium-low until tender for about 15-20 minutes. Stir a few times. Halfway through, add butter and salt. Mix thoroughly.
5. Once the apples have reached the desired texture (not too soft; don’t overcook), turn off the heat and add honey. Mix well. Sprinkle crispy smoked bacon bits on top.
Enjoy!
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