VOTE!!!!! As American as Enlightened Apple Pie

I developed and made this scrumptious apple pie several months ago and have been saving the photo and recipe for this exciting day! I'm giddy with excitement and anticipation (and a touch of nausea).

No matter what your political position, I do hope you vote--predictions indicate new records across the states--so exciting! I will reveal my position tomorrow, but I think my background (born in Berkeley, 7 Sisters College, sociologist) gives it away :). But now that I live in a small town in East Texas, you can be sure I have plenty of friends on both sides of the fence, and many straddlers, too. Hooray for diversity, and yes, there can be harmony.

Enough politics for a split second. On to PIE, my husband's favorite food. I developed this for the Cooking Light Annual Cooking Contest this year. It wasn't chosen, but I still love it--turns out pie and good health can live in sweet accord, too. You can use cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, or whichever type of spice you prefer, but I have a thing for ginger and cardamom, so this hits all of my voting buttons.

God bless America! (one of my favorite songs, especially sung by Kate Smith!)

Enlightened Apple Pie with Ginger & Cardamom

Tender Whole Wheat Crust
1 and 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour (e.g., King Arthur Brand)
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese (1/4 of an 8-ounce block)
2 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons ice water


Filling
3 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced
3 medium McIntosh apples, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons minced candied ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour (e.g., King Arthur Brand)

Topping
2/3 cup white whole wheat flour (e.g., King Arthur Brand)
2 tablespoons ground flax (flaxmeal)
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Crust: Whisk flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Cut in 4 tablespoons butter and the cream cheese using a pastry blender or fingers until crumbly. Add oil; stir until evenly moistened. Sprinkle water over the mixture; toss with a fork to combine. Knead the dough in the bowl a few times. Gather into a ball, press into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Roll the dough into a 14-inch circle between 2 large pieces of wax paper. Peel off the top sheet and invert the dough into a 9-inch pie pan. Peel off remaining paper. Press the dough firmly into pan. Tuck the overhanging dough under; crimp the edge with your fingers. Using a fork, prick the dough in several places. Chill 15 minutes. (Camilla’s Note: this helps relax the dough so it won’t shrink in pre-baking).

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 375°F. Bake the crust for 15 minutes. Cool 30 minutes.

Filling: While crust cools, combine apples, 1/2 cup brown sugar, lemon juice, candied ginger and cardamom in a large bowl. Let stand for 10 minutes. Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons flour over the apples and toss again; mound the filling into the cooled crust. Coat the crust edges with cooking spray, return the pie to the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

Topping: Meanwhile, combine the remaining 2/3 cup whole-wheat flour, flaxmeal, 1/4 cup brown sugar, cinnamon, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Cut in 2 tablespoons butter with a pastry blender or fingers until evenly distributed. Stir in oil and nuts.

After the pie has baked for 30 minutes, remove it from the oven and scatter the topping over the apples. Return it to the oven (covering the edges of the crust with foil if they're browning too quickly) and bake until the topping is golden and the juices are bubbling around the edges, 20 minutes more. Cool for at least 1 hour before serving. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition per Serving (1/8 of pie):
Calories 338; Fat 12.9g (poly 3.1g, mono 2g, sat 6g); Protein 4.2g; Cholesterol 21mg; Carbohydrate g; Fiber 4.4; Sodium 211mg)
(Note: I did the nutrition analysis using Diet Analysis Plus 7.0.1)