RECIPE MAKEOVERS

Healthy pie? No problem

Featured Recipe: Peach-Raspberry Pie

5 top tips for perfect, healthy pie every time

By Jessie Price, Food Editor, EatingWell

This Peach-Raspberry Pie recipe was developed by EatingWell’s Test Kitchen Manager, Stacy Fraser, a two-time pie-contest winner. It’s one of my favorite pie recipes because Stacy’s instructions are straightforward enough that even a non baker can get a result that will impress. Stacy says, “Even though this pie is healthier than a typical butter-crust pie it still meets my highest culinary standards with its whole-grain shell and tart, sweet filling.”

To make this recipe healthy, Stacy developed the crust using whole-wheat pastry flour combined with all-purpose flour. It yields a tender crust with the added benefits of whole grains. Plus she cut down on saturated fat in the crust by replacing some butter with reduced-fat sour cream and canola oil (which is high in heart-healthy unsaturated fats). This crust is my standard for any fruit pie—like Deep-Dish Apple Pie—sometimes I make an extra batch or two of dough, wrap them up and throw them in the freezer to use later.

Stacy’s top 5 tips for successful, healthy pie recipes:

Cold butter works best. It keeps the crust flaky and tender.
Make sure you use ice water. It also helps keep the crust tender.
Don’t overwork the dough. Just knead it a few times in the bowl and a few times on the counter. Overworked dough makes a tough crust.
Dough that’s been chilled is easier to work with, so don’t skip the chilling step before you roll it out.
Roll your dough out between parchment paper or wax paper to prevent sticking and to make transferring to the pie pan easier.

Besides Stacy’s pie tips, keep in mind that for any baking it’s important to measure your flour properly. EatingWell’s technique for properly measuring flour is to scoop the flour with a spoon into your measuring cup, then scrape across the top with a knife to level it off. Don’t just scoop into the flour with the measuring cup. That technique adds a lot of extra flour to the measure and can result in dry baked goods.

Also, for many peach desserts you’ll want to peel your peaches. Here’s a guide on how to properly peel peaches.