Lowfat Pumpkin Pie

Crust
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 tbsp apple juice
2 tbsp butter, melted

Filling
2 cups canned pumpkin
1 egg yolk
2 large egg whites
1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp allspice

Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9" pie plate or tin with vegetable spray. In a medium bowl, mix together crumbs, juice and butter until moistened. Press mixture evenly into bottom and sides of pie plate. Bake 15 minutes, until golden. Cool. Place filling ingredients in a food processor (or use an electric mixer) and pulse a few times until just blended and smooth. Pour filling into cooled pie shell. Bake 1 hour or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve warm, with or without a dollop of whipped cream. Nutritional analysis per serving (without whipped cream): 147 calories, 5 g fat (2.5 g saturated fat), 23 g carbohydrates, 2.5 g protein

Makes 8 servings.

All-Butter Pie Crust (With Variations)

11⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, preferably a high-fat, European-style butter like Plugra, chilled and cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces
2 to 5 tablespoons ice water

1. In a food processor, briefly pulse together the flour and salt. Add butter and pulse until mixture forms chickpea-size pieces (3 to 5 one-second pulses). Add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse until mixture is just moist enough to hold together.

2. Form dough into a ball, wrap with plastic and flatten into a disk. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before rolling out and baking.

Yield: One 9-inch single pie crust. Recipe can be doubled for a double crust; divide dough into two balls and form two disks before chilling.

Variations: You can experiment with textures and flavors by substituting 3 to 4 tablespoons shortening, lard, beef suet, duck fat or an unsweetened nut butter, such as hazelnut butter, almond butter or mixed nut butter, for 3 to 4 tablespoons regular butter. All should be well chilled before using.

Rendered leaf lard can be purchased from the Flying Pigs Farm stand at the Union Square and Grand Army Plaza Greenmarkets on Saturdays, or by mail order from Dietrich’s Meats, (610) 756-6344, www.dietrichsmeats.com. Rendered duck fat is available online at www.dartagnan.com. Suet can be bought from butchers.

Cheddar Crust: This crispy crust pairs nicely with apple pie or savory pie fillings. Pulse together 11⁄4 cups flour with 3⁄4 teaspoon salt. Add 3⁄4 cup grated sharp cheddar; pulse until mixture forms coarse crumbs. Add 8 tablespoons chilled, cubed butter and proceed according to the directions for All-Butter Pie Crust.

Prebaked Crust: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pie crust to a 12-inch circle. Transfer crust to a 9-inch pie plate. Fold over any excess dough, then crimp edges. Prick crust all over with a fork. If you have time, freeze crust for 15 to 30 minutes; otherwise skip this step. Cover pie with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights (you can use pennies, rice or dried beans for this). Bake for 15 minutes; remove foil and weights and bake until pale golden, 5 to 7 minutes more. Cool on rack until needed.

Honey Apple Pie with Thyme

3 Golden Delicious apples, peeled and cored (about 11⁄4 pounds)
4 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored (about 11⁄2 pounds)
1⁄2 cup honey
6 thyme branches
1⁄4 cup unsalted butter (1⁄2 stick), cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons instant tapioca
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon ground ginger
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
Flour, for dusting
Dough for 2 9-inch pie crusts (see next recipe)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Slice Golden Delicious apples and 3 Granny Smith apples into sixths.

2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, bring 1⁄4 cup honey to a boil. Let simmer about 2 minutes, until honey is caramelized. Add 3 thyme branches. Arrange half the apples in a single layer in skillet. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons butter over apples. Cook apples, turning, until well caramelized on all sides (but not cooked through), about 10 minutes. Scrape apples and honey mixture into a bowl. Add tapioca and toss to combine. Repeat cooking process with remaining honey, thyme, butter and sliced apples. Add second batch of apples to bowl; combine. Discard all thyme branches.

3. Thinly slice remaining Granny Smith apple and add it to bowl. Stir in sugar, ginger and salt.

4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out both crusts to 12-inch circles. Place one crust in 9-inch pie plate. Scrape apple filling into crust and top with remaining crust. Pinch edges to seal. With a knife, slice 4 vents in top of crust. Place pie on a foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet.

5. Bake for 15 minutes; reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking until crust is dark golden and apples are tender when pricked with a fork, about 45 minutes more. Let cool for 30 minutes before slicing.

Apple Custard Pie

CRUST:

1 1/2 cup of flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 stick of butter

FILLING:
3 apples, peeled and sliced
2/3 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of cinnamon

CUSTARD:
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup of evaporated milk

For crust, mix flour, salt and butter with a fork (or in food processor) until mixture resembles coarse meal. Press firmly on the bottom and sides of buttered pie plate. Place sliced apples on crust, sprinkle with 2/3 cup of sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.

Bake at 375 degrees F. for 20 minutes. Beat egg, sugar and milk. Pour over apples and return to oven for 30 minutes.

Onion Pie

Since we’ve been getting lots of onions in our shares, I thought I’d offer a few ways to bring this staple veggie center stage.

For onion topping:

1 1/2-2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1-2 tablespoon olive oil

2-3 large onions, cut lengthwise into 12 wedges

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

3 oz coarsely grated Gruyère (3/4 cup)

For crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 oz coarsely grated Gruyère (1/2 cup)

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk

3/4 teaspoon dry mustard

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Make onion topping: Heat butter and oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides, then cook onion, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in thyme, salt, and pepper, then cool. Toss cheese with onion and spread in bottom of a 9 1/2-inch deep-dish glass pie plate.

Make crust: Blend flour, baking powder and soda, and salt in a food processor. Add cheese and pulse 3 or 4 times to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Whisk together buttermilk and dry mustard in a small bowl and add to processor, then pulse until liquid is incorporated and dough begins to clump (do not let it form a ball).

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold it over on itself several times to lightly knead. Form dough into a ball and let stand, covered with plastic wrap, at room temperature 10 minutes.

Roll out dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap into a 10-inch round. Remove top sheet of plastic wrap and flip dough over onto onion. Peel off remaining plastic and tuck dough inside rim of pie plate.

Bake pie in middle of oven until crust is golden brown and firm to the touch, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool pie on a rack 2 minutes, then invert a platter over pie and flip pie onto platter. Serve warm.

Source: Gourmet, 2001

Blueberry Pie

Fresh summer blueberries are a glorious thing. And so, it hardly needs saying, is pie. This rendition comes from Union Square Cafe.

For the crust:

2 2/3 sticks of butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and frozen

2 2/3 cups of flour

Pinch of salt

4 Tb ice water

Combine butter, flour, and salt in food processor and blend until butter is pea-size. With blade turning, add water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough holds together. Divide dough into 2 equal disks, wrap in plastic, and allow to rest in fridge for one hour. Remove one disk and roll out on a lightly floured surface to about 12 inches in diameter. Place the dough in a 10-inch pie pan and press it down to conform to shape of pan. Trim any excess dough from edges. Set pan aside in fridge.

For the filling:

2 qts fresh blueberries

2 cups sugar plus 1 Tb.

Zest and juice of 1 large lemon

5 oz. cornstarch

Pinch of salt

1 whole egg, beaten with 1 tsp water

Place oven rack in the middle position and preheat to 325. Rinse berries and place them in a pot with 1 cup of sugar. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until their juice begins to flow. Remove from heat, strain berries in a colander set over a bowl, and allow to cool.

Transfer berries to a bowl and toss in 1 cup of sugar, lemon zest and juice, cornstarch, and salt. Allow to macerate for 10 minutes.

Roll out a disk of dough to a 12 inch circle and place on top. Trim edges and crimp with fingers or a fork. Brush top with egg and sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake for 45 minutes, until crust is golden brown and filling in bubbling. Allow to cool before serving.