Old-time Brown Betty works with blueberries

So who, or what, the heck is Brown Betty?

Betties are baked, layered puddings that date back to Colonial America, according to The Food Lover's Companion.

The layers came from (often brown) sugar and spiced fruit with buttered bread crumbs baked on top to bubbly perfection.

Traditional Apple Brown Betty conjures images of grandma and crisp fall days, but there's no reason the featured fruit can't reflect the change of seasons. For this lightened up Betty, we put lemon and blueberries to the test.

Lemon Blueberry Brown Betty

1 slice whole-wheat bread

2 tablespoons PLUS 1/3 cup sugar, divided use

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut in four pieces

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Dash salt

1 (6-ounce) carton low-fat lemon yogurt

2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

Grated zest of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-inch round cake pan with nonstick spray.

Tear bread into large pieces and place in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse until it forms even crumbs. Add 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse until butter is evenly cut into the crumb mixture. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, remaining 1/3 cup sugar, soda and salt.

In a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, oil, lemon zest and lemon juice. Pour yogurt mixture into flour mixture and stir until combined. Spoon into prepared pan and spread to coat bottom of pan evenly.

Arrange blueberries evenly over batter in pan. Sprinkle with bread crumb mixture.

Bake 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Serve warm.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Food on 06/21/2017

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