Apple Pie Latkes with Ice Cream and Caramel Sauce

I was making latkes with my 6th-grade religious school class. When I went to put a potato in the food processor, an Israeli kid piped up and asked, "You use potatoes?!" I said, "Yes, what does your mom use?" He replied, "Apples." Since then, I've found savory recipes that included apples with potatoes, but thought, "Wouldn't it be yummy to make a dessert latke with apples." And guess what...it is!

Ingredients
½ cup rolled oats
water
2 tablespoons sea salt
1 pound Fuji apples
1 pound Granny Smith apples
juice from ¼ a lemon
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
canola oil, for frying
unsalted butter, for frying
vanilla bean ice cream
caramel sauce

Equipment
food processor with chopping and shredding blades
dry measuring cups
vegetable peeler
chef’s knife
cutting board
large bowl
citrus reamer
dry measuring spoons
colander
large heavy plate
cans of food
liquid measuring shot glass
large mixing spoon
small bowl
small whisk
large skillet
spoons
spatula
brown paper grocery bags

Directions
1. In a food processor, fitted with the bottom chopping blade, process rolled oats until roughly the consistency of course meal. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix water and ¼ cup sea salt.
3. Peel, core and cut apples to the size to fit in the chute of your food processor. As you do so, place them in the salt water to keep them from browning.
4. In a clean food processor, fitted with the top shredding blade, shred apples.
5. In a large dry bowl, place the shredded apples. Toss with lemon juice and 1 teaspoon sea salt until well coated.
6. Transfer apple mixture into a colander and place in sink. Place heavy plate on top of the apples and weigh down with cans of food. Let drain for 30 minutes.
7. Preheat skillet over medium heat. The pan is ready when droplets of water “dance” on the surface.
8. While the pan is preheating, in a dry bowl, mix the apples with the vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, light brown sugar, beaten eggs and processed rolled oats.
9. Add ¼ inch oil and ½ cup butter to the pan.
10. When foam subsides, drop mixture by tablespoons into pan.
11. Cook until golden on each side. Add oil and butter to pan as needed, allowing to heat up again before adding more latkes.
12. Drain on brown paper grocery bags.
13. Serve immediately topped with vanilla bean ice cream and caramel sauce.

Yields about 2 dozen 2-3-inch latkes

© 2008 by Allison Lattman