Friday, November 19, 2010

Food is Love: Apple Brown Betty

There are people who can make pie crusts. I am not one of those people. Frankly, I burn the already made, just-place-it-in-the-pie-tin crusts. Fortunately, there's Apple Brown Betty -- one of my Thanksgiving staples. This recipe is from the classic Better Homes & Gardens cookbook. It's a "don't mess with success" recipe; perfect as is*. And easy.

Apple Brown Betty
4 cups sliced pared tart apples (They say you can also use 1 1-pound 2-ounce can of pie-sliced applies drained, but I always use the fresh apples.)
1/4 cup orange juice
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
Dash of salt
1/2 cup butter (Unsalted, because I say so and it's my blog, gosh darn it.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mound apples in buttered 9-inch pie plate; sprinkle with orange juice. Combine sugar, flour, spices, and salt; cut in butter till mixture is crumbly; sprinkle over apples. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes or till apples are tender and topping is crisp. (I always put the pie plate on a cookie sheet, to protect the oven from run-over drips.)

Serve warm with cream. Or cold with ice cream. Or just bury your head in the pie plate and slurp. This is not recommended if you're sharing.

*I did change the name. BHG calls it Apple Betty. I've always called it Apple Brown Betty. You'll just call it delicious.

3 comments:

Angela Pritchett said...

How could BHG take out the brown from apple brown betty? Sheez! That's just messing with tradition.

Good tip for catching the drips. You don't want to have oven brown betty.

Anonymous said...

I always call mine Dark brown apple Betty, I put in lots of extra cinnamon.

Anonymous said...

I use brown sugar instead of white and add 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans to the streusel mixture. It becomes caramel apple brown Betty. It's the original comfort food dessert that you can have for breakfast, if you're so inclined.