Apple Charlotte

Hooked on Downton Abbey too?  Then, you’ll remember the exchange in season one between Countess Cora and Mrs. Patmore, the cook, regarding the upcoming dinner for Sir Antony and his favorite dessert: Apple Charlotte.  Her Ladyship describes it as something new and, understandably, wants it served at Downton.  Unfortunately, Mrs. Patmore is not familiar with it, doesn’t even care to look at the “receipt” and is eventually able to convince Her Ladyship to stick with the originally planned dessert: raspberry meringue.

I remembered seeing a recipe (or receipt, as it was called at the time) for Apple Charlotte in my Old Sturbridge Village Cookbook.  I looked it up and thought I would prepare it in honor of the Downton’s second season, being aired on PBS starting this week.

This treat is a perfect marriage of french toast, bread pudding and apple pie, assembled (more than baked) in a lasagna sort of way. Food historians believe it was originally created to use up left-over bread and that the name comes from Queen Charlotte, who was known to support apple growers.  Coincidently, I live in a town named for Queen Charlotte and in a place well suited to apple growing. 

Straight from this wonderful historic cookbook, for Mrs. Patmore and all other cooks, this is Apple Charlotte:

“Cut a sufficient number of thin slices of bread to cover the bottom and line the sides of a baking dish, first rubbing it thickly with butter. Put thin slices of apples into the dish in layers, till the dish is full, strewing sugar and units of butter between. In the meantime, soak as many thin slices of bread as will cover the whole, in warm milk, over which place a plate and a weight, to keep the bread close upon the apples. Let it bake slowly for three hours.”

And now with slight adjustments for cooks in this century:

• 6 slices bread, preferably stale (soft whole wheat for highest nutrition)
• 1 1/2 cup milk (easily substituted with a non-dairy milk)
• 2-3  large apples, thinly sliced (organically grown and unpeeled for highest nutrition)
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons butter

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350˚.
2. Butter a 9-inch pie plate or baking dish.
3. Dip 3 slices of bread in milk and line the bottom of the baking dish with bread.  You may have to cut some of the slices in order to create a full bottom.
4. Layer apple slices in an artistic arrangement (or not), as you like. Drizzle with maple syrup, sprinkle with spices and dot with small bits of butter.
5. Dip remaining 3 slices of bread in milk and repeat step 3 over the apples. Sprinkle again with cinnamon. Cover with a buttered lid or oven-proof plate and press down.
6. Bake for 30 minutes or until apples are soft, remove cover and bake for 10-15 more to crisp the top. Enjoy warm or cooled, with a nice cup of tea.

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