Vanilla Cinnamon Kissed Apple Latkes Food

APPLE LATKES

Steps:

• Beat the egg with the yogurt and milk (or just the yogurt, if you're using the plain normal variety) and set aside. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and sugar in a bowl. Peel, quarter and core the apples, then grate them; I use a food processor, but a coarse Microplane or other grater would work easily, I'd imagine.
• Pour the yogurt mixture into the flour bowl, tip in the grated apples and fold it together.
• Pour enough oil to come about 1/4 inch up in a skillet and put on the stove to heat. Dollop spoonfuls -- I use a round soup spoon -- of the apple batter into the sizzling oil; a rubber spatula (the one you used to fold the batter together) will help you scrape the batter off the spoon and press down on the little latkes in the pan. Don't worry about making perfect round pancakes; I like these a bit raggedy and skew-whiff. Fry for a minute or two, until the latkes are a golden brown on the undersides; you can see from the top as they start firming up underneath. Flip them with 2 metal spatulas and fry for another minute on the uncooked side.
• Remove to a tray lined with paper towels to blot the excess oil and continue cooking until you've used up all the batter. Top with maple syrup.

APPLE-POTATO LATKES WITH CINNAMON SOUR CREAM

Steps:

• In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream or yogurt, cinnamon and syrup. Cover and chill until ready to use.
• Coarsely grate the apples, potato and onion. Put the mixture in a clean dish towel and squeeze to wring out as much liquid as possible. For the crispiest pancakes, you want the least moisture.
• Working quickly, put the mixture in a large bowl, add the flour, eggs, salt, baking powder and pepper, and mix until the flour is absorbed.
• In a heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat, pour in about 1/4 inch of oil. Once the oil is hot (a drop of batter placed in the pan should sizzle), drop heaping tablespoons of batter into the pan, cooking 3 to 4 latkes at a time. Use a spatula to flatten the scoops into disks. When the edges of the latkes are brown and crispy, 2 to 3 minutes, flip them. Cook until the second side is deeply browned, another 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the latkes to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve with dollops of the cinnamon sour cream on top.