This takes a while to prepare, but it isn't difficult and it has a most distinctive and delicious flavor. (A charlotte mold is round a 3-1/4 -4 inches high, but a 2 quart souffle dish will do as well.)

Peel and core apples and cut them into thin slices. Melt the sugar and 5 tbsp of the butter in a large frying pan. Add apples, stir until coated with butter, cover and cook over low heat until tender. Uncover and continue to simmer until water formed is evaporated. You should now have a thick apple puree. Cut bread into pieces and completely cover the bottom and sides of the mold. (easy when bread is cut into 1 inch strips for sides, and triangles for the bottom.) Then brown the triangle pieces in some of the butter and place in bottom of mold. Dip strips of bread in melted butter and line sides. Pour hot puree into mold and cover with more trips of bread dipped in melted butter. Set the mold on a baking sheet and place in a 400 F oven. Bake 40-50 minutes, or until bread on top is a deep golden brown. Remove from oven and let stand 20 minutes. Slip a knife between mold and bread and turn on to a platter. Serve hot with cream or apricot rum sauce. (1/2 cup apricot jam warmed up with 1/4 cup rum.) Serves 8.