Country Apple Pie

What would a family cookbook be without good old-fashioned apple pie? This rustic variation combines Patsy Jamieson's recipe for the crust with a healthy, delicious filling created by my recipe chef, Sara Moulton. This French-style tart is far easier to make than the traditional pie. The dough is simply rolled out into a circle, and the apples are placed on top. Serve the dessert warm with your favorite low-fat frozen vanilla yogurt. The whole treat still comes in with less than 30 percent of calories from fat. 

Serves 10

INGREDIENTS
For the Crust:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon canola oil
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 to 6 tablespoons ice water
Nonstick vegetable spray

For the Pie Filling:
5 to 6 Golden Delicious apples
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup apricot preserves
Low-fat frozen vanilla yogurt as an accompaniment, optional

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Set the oven rack in the center of the oven.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over moderate heat until it turns golden brown and emits a nutty aroma. Remove from heat, stir in canola oil, and let cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt until well combined. When the butter mix-ture is cool, use a fork to slowly stir it into the flour mixture, until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in the ice water, starting with 3 tablespoons and adding more if necessary, a teaspoon at a time, or until the dough holds together in a ball.

Roll the dough into a 14-inch circle between sheets of plastic wrap or wax paper. Remove the top sheet of wrap, and invert the dough onto a 12x17-inch baking sheet sprayed with the nonstick vegetable oil spray. Cover the dough and chill it while you prepare the apples.

Peel and core the apples and cut into eighths. Toss with the lemon juice, 1/4 cup of the sugar, and the cinnamon. On top of the rolled-out pie dough, arrange the apple slices, slightly overlapping in concentric circles. Fold the pastry border over the apples to form an edge and sprinkle them with the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar.

Bake the pie for 15 minutes, reduce the heat to 375°F., and bake for 30 to 40 minutes more or until the crust is golden. With a long metal spatula, loosen the bottom and slide the tart onto a platter. In a small saucepan, heat the apricot jam with 1 tablespoon of water and brush the mixture on top of the apples.

Nutritional Analysis per serving: 233 calories; 27% calories from fat; 7 grams of fat; 108 milligrams of sodium

Source: Joan Lunden’s Healthy Cooking by Joan Lunden and Laura Morton