Apple Cranberry Pie

Ingredients

Crust Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
1/2 cup finely ground blanched almonds or almond flour
16 Tbsp (2 sticks) unsalted butter, very-cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 teaspoon salt
1 heaping teaspoon brown sugar
3 to 6 Tbsp ice water
Filling Ingredients
1 cup dried cranberries
2/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
2 1/4 pounds of 1/4-inch thick slices of an assortment of good cooking apples such as Granny Smith, Pippin, Golden Delicious (see cooking apple varieties)
1 1/2 tablespoons brandy
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Egg Wash
1 large egg yolk
1 Tbsp whipping cream

Method

1 In a food processor, combine flour, almonds, salt and brown sugar, pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse 6 to 8 times, until mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea size pieces of butter. Add water 1 Tablespoon at a time, pulsing until mixture just begins to clump together. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it's ready, if not, add a little more ice water and pulse again.

Remove dough from machine and place on a clean surface. Carefully shape into 2 discs. Do not over-knead the dough! You should still be able to see little bits of butter in the dough. These bits of butter are what will allow the result crust to be flaky. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

2 Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 375°F.

3 Combine cranberries, sugar, flour and allspice in large bowl. Mix in apples, then add brandy and vanilla extract.

4 Remove one crust disk from the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle some flour on top of the disk. Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a 12 inch circle; about 1/8 of an inch thick. As you roll out the dough, use a metal spatula to check if the dough is sticking to the surface below. Add a few sprinkles of flour if necessary to keep the dough from sticking. Gently fold in half. Place on to a 9-inch pie plate, lining up the fold with the center of the pan. Gently unfold and press down to line the pie dish with the dough.

5 Spoon in apple filling, mounding slightly in center.

6 Roll out second disk of dough, as before. Gently turn over onto the top of the apples in the pie. Pinch top and bottom of dough rounds firmly together. Trim excess dough with kitchen shears, leaving a 3/4 inch overhang. Fold dough under itself so that the edge of the fold is flush with the edge of the pan. Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with a fork.

7 Stir yolk and cream in small bowl to blend. Brush over top of pie. Cut slits in top crust to allow steam to escape. Bake pie until apples are tender and crust is golden, anywhere from 50 minutes to an hour 5 minutes, depending on the type of apples you are using. Transfer to rack; let stand 1 hour. Serve pie warm or at room temperature.

Serves 8.

Apple Coffee Cake

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 5 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 medium Cortland or other baking apple, peeled and sliced

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9-inch square baking dish with or pie pan with a 4-cup capacity.

2 In a medium bowl, whisk vigorously together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

3 In a separate small bowl, mix 1/4 a cup of the sugar with the cinnamon, set aside.

4 Using an electric mixer, beat the butter with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Beat in the egg until blended. Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk, beating after each addition until just combined.

5 Pour half of the batter in the bottom of the baking dish. Lay the apple slices on the batter so they just cover the batter (you may have to overlap some slices). Sprinkle the apples with the cinnamon-sugar mixture, reserving a teaspoon or two to sprinkle on top. Spread the rest of the batter over the apples. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon-sugar on top.

6 Bake the cake for 25 minutes or until it is golden brown and apples start to bubble at the edges.

Breakfast Sandwich Recipe

Ingredients:
- 1 100 Calorie Sandwich Round
- 1/3 cup liquid egg whites (or egg substitute)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 slice fat-free American cheese (I used Kraft Singles)
- 1/4 cup chopped spinach leaves
- 1 slice lean deli ham
- 2 slices fresh tomato
- 1 slice red onion

Directions:

Spray a small frying pan with non-stick cooking spray and set to medium heat. Toast your Sandwich Round in a toaster. While bread is toasting, fry the slice of ham until it edges start to become a bit crisp. Place ham on 1 half of the toasted Sandwich Round. Next, add the spinach to the frying pan, and cover with a lid until the leaves start to wilt (about 1 minute). Add in egg whites, salt and pepper. Scramble egg whites with spinach and cook until egg whites are solid. Pile up the eggs into one section of the pan, and top with the slice of cheese. Cover pan with lid, and turn off heat. After about 30 seconds, remove the lid and cheese should be melted. Place eggs with the cheese on top of the ham on your sandwich. Finally, top with tomatoes, onions and the remaining half of the Sandwich Round.