American Apple Brown Betty Casserole

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 240 g toast bread, crust removed, cut into approx. 2 cm cubes
• 7 tbsp butter, melted
• 600 g apples (Granny Smith), peeled, pitted, quartered, and cut into approximately 1 cm thick slices
• 200 g sugar, white, extra fine
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• 125 ml water
• 3 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 1 lemon(s), untreated, zest
• e.g. whipped cream, whipped and/or vanilla ice cream
• Fat for the mold

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 55 minutes

An institution in America – simply great!

Preheat the oven to 175°C (bottom heat if possible, otherwise top/bottom heat). Grease a 1.5 l casserole dish or baking pan. Place half of the bread cubes in the casserole dish. Mix the remaining half with 2 of the 7 tablespoons of melted butter and set aside. Place the apple slices on top of the bread cubes in the casserole dish. In a bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, water, lemon juice, lemon zest, and the remaining 5 tablespoons of melted butter. Pour this mixture evenly over the apple slices. Place the reserved bread cubes on top of the sugar mixture. Place the dish in the oven and bake the Apple Brown Betty for 30-40 minutes; the bread should be well browned and the apples should be soft. If the bread cubes brown too quickly, cover the dish with aluminum foil. Remove the dish from the oven. Serve warm or cold with whipped cream and/or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.