Untested - Buttered Apple Dice

Food in England, Dorothy Hartley, p 417

"Buttered Apple Dice
"We know that buttered apples is a dish which dates from 1700, maybe earlier.
"Peel, core, and chop the apples and drop into the sugar bowl as done. Meanwhile cut a slice of stale bread into cubes, the same size as the pieces of apple. Melt just enough butter in the thickest frying pan to fry the sugared apples; keep them well stirred around till they go a golden sticky brown, then toss out, add a little more butter and fry the bread cubes quite crisp, toss both together and serve instandly, with crushed sugar strewn over. This dish should be very crisp and crunchy, with soft pieces of buttered apple in it. It was probably laced with sack or hot cider; but is good with cream."

__ apples, peeled, cored, coarse chop

__ sugar

__ stale bread, diced (same size as apple pieces)

__ butter

Cream and/or cider and/or sack/mead

1. Put the sugar in a large bowl. As you chop the apples, drop them in the sugar and toss as-you-go.
2. Melt the butter in a heavy frying pan (preferably cast-iron) on a medium high heat. When the butter has stopped frothing, dump in the apple and sugar mixture and saute for approximately 5 minutes or until tender crisp and beginning to brown. Turn several times to brown evenly. Remove from heat and dump into a bowl.
3. Add more butter to the pan to loosen what sugars are sticking to the bottom, and toss in the bread cubes, stirring and scraping to mop up anything left behind by the sugared apples.
4. When the bread is quite crisp, toss them with the apples until well mixed and serve immediately.
5. (To try - a glug of cream or cider or sack when serving).