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belle melange (a beautiful mess)

kyrel avatar
Recipe by
cyndy ladas
@kyrel
Plano, TX

This recipe has been in my family for years, courtesy of my Uncle Denys who was born and raised in Louisiana's Cajun country. Then I saw a version in the movie Tortilla Soup. Hope you like it and let me know what you think of it.

yield 8 -10
prep time 15 Min
cook time 1 Hr
method Bake

Ingredients For belle melange (a beautiful mess)

  • 1 stick
    unsalted butter
  • 1/2
    loaf french bread or baguette with the crust, cut into small cubes
  • 1 lb
    brown sugar, firmly packed (light or dark your preference, i like the dark)
  • 1 1/2 c
    water
  • 1 1/2 tsp
    ground cinnamon
  • 2
    large baking apples, (i use granny smith and honeycrisp)
  • 8 oz
    cream cheese (cold and chopped)
  • 1 c
    whipping cream (optional)
  • 1 c
    chopped peacans or walnuts (optional)

How To Make belle melange (a beautiful mess)

  • 1
    Preheat the oven to 350, and butter a 13x9 baking dish
  • 2
    Melt the stick of butter in a medium sauce pan, add the bread cubes and stir to coat evenly
  • 3
    Spread the bread cubes on a baking sheet, and bake for 15 minutes, or until lightly brown and crisp. Remove the bread and turn the oven up to 400
  • 4
    Combined the sugar and water in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, stir in the cinnamon and set aside.
  • 5
    In a very large bowl, combine the apples, nuts, cream cheese, and toasted bread cubes. Drizzle with sugar syrup and stir to evenly distribute.
  • 6
    Transfer the mixture to the baking dish, and bake uncovered for 15 minutes stirring 2-3 times.
  • 7
    Then bake an additional 5 minutes without stirring, until the top is golden brown and crusty, and most of the liquid is gone. Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
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