Another Memory Recovered at the Milk Pail

The intoxicating scent of the freshly fried cider doughnuts at the Milk Pail on Wednesday reminded me to make one of my favorite fall treats, beer-battered apples. I bought a bag of Jonagolds, a hybrid of Jonathan and Golden Delicious apples with a sweet-tart flavor and firm texture, and fried them up later that evening for dessert, but they'd be really good as a breakfast treat, too. (No worries about beer at breakfast--the alcohol quickly cooks off in the hot oil.) Here is the recipe:

Beer-Battered Apples
Serves 4

Use a light lager (I had a bottle of Southampton Public House India Pale Ale in the refrigerator, and it was just right), which will give the batter a nice, yeasty flavor without overwhelming the apples the way a darker brew might. And don't skimp on the powdered sugar--it's necessary for a properly sweet finish.

Vegetable oil for frying
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch salt
1/2 cup lager-style beer, chilled
1 large apple, peeled, cored, and cut into sixteen 1/4-inch slices
Confectioners' sugar for dusting

1. Heat an inch of vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
2. Whisk the flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and beer together in a medium bowl.
3. Put 8 of the apple slices in the bowl and toss to coat with the batter. Lift them with a slotted spoon or spatula, one at a time, from the bowl, letting any excess batter drip back into the bowl, and put them into the hot oil.
4. Fry the slices, turning them once, until golden brown on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes total. Use a clean slotted spoon to transfer the fried slices to the baking sheet to drain. Repeat with the remaining slices. let the fried apples rest on the baking sheet for a minute or two, dust heavily with confectioners' sugar, and serve.