Peach and raspberry Betty

Name: Peach and raspberry Betty
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 10g softened butter for greasing the dish

Helen Goh

February 28, 2025

The fruit can be substituted for what’s in season.William Meppem

easyTime:30 mins - 1 hourServes:6

For Australians, peaches and raspberries might evoke Peach Melba, created and named for Dame Nellie Melba, but fruit Betty is an American dessert of fruit baked under a raft of spiced, buttered breadcrumbs.

The combination of fruits can be varied to make use of summer’s bounty, and it’s a good way to use up high-quality stale bread. Moving into autumn, apples with rye breadcrumbs is a favourite of mine.

Ingredients

10g softened butter for greasing the dish

FOR THE BREAD CRUMBLE

200g stale, Italian- or French-style bread
80g light brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
50g unsalted butter, melted

FOR THE FRUIT filling

80g caster sugar
20g cornflour
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla essence
¼ tsp fine sea salt
4-5 large peaches, halved, pitted, then roughly sliced (you should have about 550g)
450g raspberries
pouring cream or ice-cream, to serve

Method

Step 1
Brush an ovenproof dish about 26cm in diameter with the softened butter, and then set aside.
Step 2
To make the bread crumble, slice away the brown crusts from the bread and discard. Roughly tear the bread into pieces, then put them in a food processor. Pulse until rough crumbs form, then tip them into a medium mixing bowl, along with the brown sugar and spices. Toss well to combine, then drizzle in the melted butter and toss again until the crumbs are damp. Set aside.
Step 3
Preheat the oven to 175C fan-forced (195C conventional).
Step 4
To make the fruit filling, place the sugar, cornflour, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla essence and salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk together into a slurry. Add the sliced peaches and raspberries, then toss gently with a flexible spatula until the fruit is well coated. Spoon the fruit mix into the buttered dish, then scatter the breadcrumb mixture over evenly. Bake for 35–40 minutes until the breadcrumbs are deep golden-brown and crisp, and the fruit juices are just beginning to bubble up at the sides.
Step 5
Remove the Betty from the oven and allow it to cool for a few minutes before spooning into serving bowls. Serve with cream or ice-cream.