Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

belle melange (a beautiful mess)

Recipe by
cyndy ladas
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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