Stone Fruit Brown Betty

The defining characteristic of a brown Betty is the use of fresh breadcrumbs as the crumble topping. Why is that important? It means that if you have some summer fruit and a few slices of sandwich bread about to go stale, you’re just a few steps away from dessert. Any soft sliced bread will work, but white bread is particularly apt because of its inherent sweetness; when tossed with sugar and warm spices and coated with melted butter, it evokes the nostalgic flavors of cinnamon toast. Serve the finished betty with vanilla ice cream for a hot-and-cold, fruity-and-creamy treat.

For the full backstory on this particular recipe, read author Rita Dove’s essay.