I Baked a Pie!

I love cooking and baking! I have since I was a little kid. I was always trying to help my mom or dad cook when they were in the kitchen. When I get bored, I have the urge to bake something. I love Food Network! I could watch it all day. From Rachael Ray to The Neely's to The Next Food Network Star...it is all so entertaining to me. I love reading "foodie" blogs about cooking, baking and the healthy way people eat! Ask Jeremy... I've found about 20 "foodie" blogs that I read daily. So, I got to thinking...what if I kinda, sorta starting posting about my cooking and baking? That could be fun, right? Well, to the five people out there who actually read this blog...I'm going to start incorporating things that I cook, the process and the recipes, for your viewing pleasure. Let's start with my very first pie...

While watching "Good Eats" last week, Alton Brown was doing his show on apple pie. It looked delicious and made me want to make a pie...even though I'm more of a cake and cookie kinda girl. I would have used Alton's recipe; however, it didn't seem as "figure-friendly" as I would have liked. So, I searched for a recipe and came across this delicious one from Cooking Light magazine.

This Caramel-Apple Crumb Pie is very easy to make and quite tasty, if I do say so myself! Instead of a top crust, there is a yummy crumb and caramel mixture that doesn't overpower the apples. Delicious!

My ingredients.

Rolling out the crust. (I only had Whole-Wheat flour, so that's why it's darker than usual)

Pinto beans as my "pie weights," while the crust baked.

The apple filling.

The finished product, cooling on the counter!

Caramel-Apple Crumb Pie

Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 1999

Ingredients

Crust:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons chilled butter or stick margarine, cut into small pieces

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

3 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon ice water

1 teaspoon cider vinegar

Butter-flavored cooking spray

Filling:

1 tablespoon butter or stick margarine

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

9 cups sliced peeled Granny Smith apple (about 2 3/4 pounds)

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Topping:

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons chilled butter or stick margarine, cut into small pieces

1/4 cup fat-free caramel sundae syrup

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.

To prepare crust, lightly spoon 1 cup flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine 1 cup flour and salt in a bowl; cut in 2 tablespoons butter and shortening with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle surface with ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time; add vinegar. Toss with a fork until moist and crumbly (do not form a ball).

Press mixture gently into a 4-inch circle on heavy-duty plastic wrap; cover with additional plastic wrap. Roll dough, still covered, to a 12-inch circle. Freeze 10 minutes or until plastic wrap can be easily removed.

Remove 1 sheet of plastic wrap; fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Remove top sheet of plastic wrap. Fold edges under; flute. Line bottom of dough with a piece of foil; arrange pie weights (or dried beans) on foil. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until the edge is lightly browned. Remove pie weights and foil; cool on a wire rack.

To prepare filling, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Combine 1/2 cup brown sugar and cinnamon. Add sugar mixture and apples to skillet; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in 3 tablespoons flour and lemon juice. Spoon into prepared crust.

To prepare topping, lightly spoon 1/4 cup flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and 1/4 cup brown sugar in a bowl; cut in 2 tablespoons butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Drizzle syrup over apple mixture; sprinkle topping over syrup. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until apples are tender. Cool on a wire rack.

Yield: 10 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)

Nutritional Information:

CALORIES 277(27% from fat); FAT 8.4g (sat 4.2g,mono 2.4g,poly 1g); IRON 1.3mg; CHOLESTEROL 16mg; CALCIUM 33mg; CARBOHYDRATE 50.1g; SODIUM 109mg; PROTEIN 2.1g; FIBER 2.4g