RASPBERRY CRUMB COFFEE CAKE (LITE)

My friend and faithful foodblog follower, Pat, recently gave me some past issues of Taste of Home's Healthy Cooking magazine. I've seen other Taste of Home publications, but never this particular one. I leafed through the back issues and bookmarked a number of recipes to try. When I saw this recipe for raspberry crumb coffee cake, it was a no-brainer. There's a bakery outside Lake Wallenpaupak that Larry and I have stopped at numerous times. I love their almond horns, though after I've eaten one I always vow that it's the last. They are cloyingly sweet and it's really the first 2 or 3 bites that are the best. The rest I eat because I was brought up a member of the "clean plate club." Maybe I should buy one, eat half and freeze the rest. Ya think? But I digress. Larry's favorite is a raspberry crumb thingy that to me tastes more like a pastry/cookie than cake. I find it a bit dry, but he loves the things and generally carts a few home. The photo that accompanied this recipe looked remarkably like his favorite thing, so I decided it was first up at bat.

I tasted one and liked it about as well as I like the ones he buys, which is to say it's just not my favorite thing. He thinks they're good, though, so it was worth trying them. I would cut the sugar substitute if I make them again. I used Splenda, as editors noted they did. I have to confess that I've never liked baking with this substitute. It's supposed to be used in the same proportion as sugar, but I find it overly sweet with a bit of an aftertaste. I'm guessing I could have gone with just the regular sugar and these would have been sweet enough. I will also mention that you can't "pour" this batter. It has the consistency of cookies before it is baked, so needs to be spread. Baked, it is cake, not cookie.

So, if you're watching your calories--as who doesn't seem to be--and you have a sweet tooth, I recommend these. You get 20 generous servings for just under 200 calories each. That's a whole lot better than many of the costly prepared "lite" desserts that are out there, less expensive and better tasting.

Prep: 35 min

Bake: 30 min

1/4 cup sugar

sugar substitute (Splenda, for example) equivalent to 1/4 cup

1/4 cup cornstarch

3/4 cup cold water

2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries

1 tbs lemon juice

BATTER:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

sugar substitute equivalent to 1/4 cup sugar

2 1/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 cup cold butter

1/4 cup cold reduced-fat butter

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup fat free milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

TOPPING

1/2 cup all purpose flour

sugar substitute equivalent to 1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup cold butter

1/4 cup slivered almonds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13 X 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray (I like the one for baking with flour in it).

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, sugar substitute, and cornstarch. Stir in water until smooth. Add raspberries and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the first 8 batter ingredients. Cut in the butter and the reduced fat butter until the mixture is crumbly. In another bowl, combine the eggs, milk, and vanilla. Stir into the crumb mixture. Batter will be thick (like cookie dough).

Spread half the batter into the prepared baking dish. Spread evenly with the cooled raspberry mixture. Drop the remaining batter by tablespoons over the filling.

For the topping: combine the flour and sugar substitute in a small bowl. Cut in the butter until crumbly. Stir in the almonds. Sprinkle evenly over the batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

Cut into 20 pieces.

CLASSIC APPLE PIE

If you live in the country, as we do, you almost give up hope of ever being able to visit a farm on the weekends. That is because nearly every city dweller within one hundred miles has had the same idea. Larry and I passed a half dozen of our favorite, large farms this past weekend. One had traffic backed up for miles; another had a person on the main road directing traffic. We really wanted a just-made apple cider donut and some apple cider as well as some apples for a homemade apple pie. After driving for an hour, we discovered a smaller farm, apparently as yet undiscovered, and were able to score on each count.

At the recommendation of the cashier, I bought Northern Spy apples, a departure from my usual Macoun or Gala. As she described them, they would soften, but retain their shape. While Larry would have preferred them softer--he'd probably like applesauce pie--I thought they were perfect. I saw no good reason to make a pie crust when they sell perfectly good sheets of crust. About the only time I'll make homemade is if I need a pate brisee. The pie was classic...and perfect!

Servings 10

1 pkg refrigerated rolled piecrusts (I swear by Pillsbury)

1/2-3/4 cup sugar (depending on how sweet you like it; Larry likes sweet!)

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

3 tbs cornstarch

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

pinch allspice

4 lbs apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2 inch slices

3 tbs unsalted butter

2 tbs lemon juice

1 egg, beaten with water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

• unroll 1 piecrust onto work surface; it into bottom and up sides of 9 inch deep pie dish and prick bottom of crust all over with fork; refrigerate



• in small bowl, blend sugars, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt, and allspice; set aside



• prepare apples

• in large skillet, melt butter over medium heat; add apples, lemon juice, and sugar mixture and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until juices thicken; cool on rack for 25 minutes




• pour cooled apple mixture into prepared pie plate, then unroll top crust, fit over, crimp and seal; cut 1 inch vent in top
  
  


• brush egg over top and sprinkle with a teaspoon of granulated sugar

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, then lower temperature to 350 degrees and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool at least one hour before serving.

This apple peeler is an antique; it belonged to Larry's Aunt Ruth, a wonderful woman whom we miss. It makes quick work of peeling apples. I'm told she and Larry's mom used to peel mountains of apples for their church fair. I love having a remembrance of Aunt Ruth.