Apple-Blackberry Betty

 2 February 2022

Recipe from Cook's Illustrated, September 2021; also available online

There are many rustic fruit desserts with interesting names. There are cobblers and sonkers and buckles, crisps and crumbles, grunts and slumps, pandowdies and betties. These vary primarily in the topping that is placed on, and sometimes under, the fruit. The recipe in this recent issue of Cook's Illustrated provided inspiration to try an apple betty. It promised to be easy to make but would it be good to eat?

Half a loaf of white sandwich bread (about 10 ounces, I used Japanese Milk Bread) was cut into 1-inch pieces and pulsed in a food processor until coarsely ground. Brown sugar and salt were added and pulsed to combine. Melted butter was added and this was also pulsed to combine. 2½ cups of the bread mixture were pressed into the bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan. Sliced apples (Golden Delicious and Granny Smith) were combined with vanilla extract, water, nutmeg, and brown sugar and placed on top of the bread mixture in the baking dish. Blackberries were sprinkled over the apples and covered with the remaining bread mixture. This was covered with aluminum foil and baked until the apples were tender. The foil was removed and the betty was baked until the bread crumbs were crisp and well browned. Total preparation time was 45 minutes followed by 85 minutes in the oven.

We were not fans of this dish. While it was easy to make, the combination of fruit and bread just didn't appeal to us. The topping and the seasonings did not accentuate the apples which should be the star of the dish. Even if you have leftover bread to use up, I can think of better ways to use it.