Apple Pandowdy

nights grow longer and a chill begins
summer memories are packed away
and I think of autumn
that’s when Uncle Victor came
from the north woods of Wisconsin
his once a year amusement
was to show us how he could
peel an apple with his pocket knife
and do it all in one piece
he told us it was wonderful
and we believed him
this was before television

my Mother would then take
the peeled apples and bake us
an apple pandowdy
it’s like an apple upside down cake
a layer of sugar/cinnamon apples
topped with a slightly sweet
biscuit topping, almost cake, almost bread
she didn’t have a written recipe
it depended on what she had

it matters if the apples are moist or dry
then you add more or less sugar to them
brown sugar, that is with cinnamon to taste
if the apples are dry, add more sugar
the cake batter should be more liquid
a thicker batter is used over really moist apples

I fiddle with the one egg cake recipe
in Joy of Cooking, adjusting quantities and sweetness
always adding less than half the sugar called for
it tastes good hot or cold

(C) 2010 Sandy Vrooman