Apple Brown Betty
This is my prize winning Apple Brown Betty. I won at the Fil-Am Kiwanis annual Appetizer/Desert Contest on March 13, 2010. Enjoy!
This is my prize winning Apple Brown Betty. I won at the Fil-Am Kiwanis annual Appetizer/Desert Contest on March 13, 2010. Enjoy!
- Carbohydrate 82.2742915614921 g
- Cholesterol 45.7546875 mg
- Fat 17.6225119791537 g
- Fiber 4.30493653525323 g
- Protein 0.824627551946889 g
- Saturated Fat 11.028537968748 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (211g)
- Sodium 212.245583333307 mg
- Sugar 77.9693550262388 g
- Trans Fat 1.35364671874571 g
- Calories 469 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Peel the apples, and reserve the peels.
- Core and chop up the apples into 1 inch pieces.
- Put the apples into a large bowl.
- Add the brown sugar, mace, nutmeg, cinnamon, cranberries and melted butter.
- Put the raisin bread into a food processor and process into crumbs.
- Put almost all the crumbs into the bowl.
- Mix all well.
- Put into 1 quart casserole dish.
- Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until apples have softened.
- Remove from the oven,
- Heat oil in a frying pan.
- Dredge the peels in the flour.
- Fry in oil until they have crisped then remove and dust with sugar and cinnamon.
- Place on top of Betty for garnish.
- Serve warm.
- This is very good with "Red Hot Sauce" and ice cream.
The ingredient list omits how the starch from the breadcrumbs interacts with the fruit juices to form a cohesive matrix without requiring cornstarch or gelatin. Ground mace and freshly grated nutmeg contain volatile aromatic oils that dissipate rapidly under high heat, which explains why they bloom successfully when tossed directly into the warm melted butter before baking.
Evaluating Doneness Without A Thermometer
Rely entirely on physical cues rather than a timer when testing this dessert. Insert a metal skewer into the center of the casserole dish. The fruit should yield instantly with zero resistance from firm flesh. Simultaneously, observe the edges of the baking dish where the sugar and butter bubble. Deep amber coloration indicates proper caramelization, while pale yellow liquid means the sugars have not yet reached the Maillard reaction threshold. Target a total bake time of roughly ninety minutes at three hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit to achieve this structural integrity.Utilizing Apple Peels
Discarding fruit skins wastes a valuable textural component. Dredging the reserved apple peels in flour and frying them in hot vegetable oil dehydrates the tissue rapidly. Dusting these fried strips with a cinnamon and sugar blend immediately upon removal from the oil ensures proper adhesion. Position these crisped garnishes over the baked dessert just before service to introduce structural contrast against the soft interior.
