Apple Pan Goody — The Table That Holds Everyone

November. Thanksgiving prep begins. The menu unchanged. The sage at one and three-quarter teaspoons. The cornbread drying. The table will seat nine this year — Craig, Connie, Travis, Jolene, Earl Thomas, Clay, Sarah, and this time Amber and James are coming, bringing Nadia, because Amber refused to miss another Thanksgiving and traded three Christmas shifts to get it. Nine people at the table. The table I bought at a yard sale eight years ago that seats six, with a leaf that extends it to eight, with a folding table pushed against the end for the ninth. The table is not elegant. The table is sufficient. Sufficient is Appalachian for perfect.

This will be the first Thanksgiving with both grandchildren at the table. Earl Thomas in his booster seat, Nadia in the high chair. Two small humans who will someday remember this table and this food and this family, or they won't remember it specifically but they'll remember the feeling, the way I remember Betty's table and Betty's food not as facts but as feelings — warm, full, surrounded, safe. That's what I'm building. Not a meal. A feeling. The meal is just the architecture. The feeling is the building.

With the cornbread drying and the sage already measured, I needed one more thing on this table — something warm and apple-sweet that the little ones could eat and the grown ones could remember. Apple Pan Goody has been in the rotation for years, but this year it hits different, knowing Earl Thomas and Nadia are both going to be in their chairs. It’s not a fancy dish. That’s exactly the point.

Apple Pan Goody

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 4 large apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (about 5 cups)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 6 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Powdered sugar, for dusting

Instructions

1. Preheat oven. Heat oven to 400°F. Place a 12-inch oven-safe skillet or 9x13-inch baking pan in the oven while it preheats.
2. Cook the apples. In a separate skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add the sliced apples, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6–8 minutes until apples are just tender and coated in a light caramel glaze. Remove from heat.
3. Make the batter. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, flour, vanilla extract, and remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter until smooth. The batter will be thin, similar to a crepe batter.
4. Assemble. Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven. Add a small pat of butter to coat the bottom if needed. Spread the cooked apple mixture evenly in the pan, then pour the batter over the top.
5. Bake. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 20–25 minutes, until the edges are puffed and golden and the center is set.
6. Finish and serve. Remove from oven, dust generously with powdered sugar, and cut into squares or wedges. Serve warm directly from the pan.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 290 | Protein: 6g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 47g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 130mg