Sweet Corn Cakes with Maple-Glazed Bacon and Caramelized Jonagold Apples

Sweet Corn Cakes with Maple-Glazed Bacon and Caramelized Jonagold Apples Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup fresh sweet corn
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk

6 slices thick bacon
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar (light or dark)
2 tablespoons heavy cream or whole milk, plus an additional 1 tablespoon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
Pinch of ground clove
2 Jonagold apples, peeled, cored, thinly sliced

Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter six large muffin cups.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in cornmeal and corn until combined.
In a large mixing bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat together 1/4 cup butter and sugar until creamy, about 1 minute. Beat in eggs until combined. Beat in sour cream and milk until combined, about 1 minute. Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in flour mixture until just combined. Divide batter into muffin cups; bake at 375 degrees F for 22-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes before running a knife around cakes and transferring to wire racks.

To make the maple-glazed bacon, place bacon on a large sheet pan and brush both sides evenly with maple syrup. Place the bottom of a large sheet pan on top, and bake at 375 degrees F for 10 minutes. Remove sheet pan and bake an additional 3-4 minutes, or until crisp and golden brown. Drain well on paper towels; chop very coarsely.

To make the caramelized Jonagold apples, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove, and bring to a boil; boil 1 minute, or until sugar is dissolved. Stir in apples and cook for 13-15 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in the additional 1 tablespoon milk, to loosen the caramel and make it creamier.

To serve, place a scoop of ice cream on top of cake, drizzle with apples and sprinkle with bacon.

Makes 6 large servings