Here are some of my favorite fall dessert, dinner and side dish recipes using fresh fall produce. (For more inspiration on cooking fall vegetables—from beets and squash to sweet potatoes—check out our new Vegetable Roasting Guide.)
Apples
Deep-Dish Apple Pie (see recipe below)
With all that delicious fruit an apple pie should be healthy, but
the truth is a slice can have as much as 750 calories and 30 grams
of fat. For the most part, the culprit is the crust. We use
whole-wheat pastry flour to add fiber and lower the saturated fat
by replacing some of the butter with canola oil. The brown
sugar-sweetened filling in this pie is made with two kinds of
apples for the perfect balance. A slice has half the calories of a
typical version and only 10 grams of fat—sweet!
Apples & Fennel
Apple & Fennel Roasted Pork Tenderloin – Roasted
apples, fennel and red onion are the perfect foil to roasted pork
tenderloin. Make it a meal: Stir sauteed broccoli rabe into
quick-cooking barley to serve alongside
Brussels Sprouts
Brussels Sprouts with Bacon-Horseradish Cream – These
tangy horseradish-cream-topped Brussels sprouts are just the thing
to serve with corned beef and potatoes, or alongside a holiday ham
or turkey. Look for sprouts with tight, firm, small deep-green
heads; if they're still on the stalk, so much the better. To
prepare, peel off outer leaves and trim the stems. Double it: Steam
the Brussels sprouts in a Dutch oven instead of a saucepan.
Cranberries & Pears
Gingered Cranberry-Pear Cobbler – Cranberries add a
particularly pleasing tartness and color to pears. Fresh ginger,
lemon and vanilla brighten up the pears, while reduced-fat sour
cream adds flavor to the biscuit-dough crust.
Deep-Dish Apple Pie
Crust
1 1/4 cups whole-wheat pastry flour (see Ingredient Note)
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
3 tablespoons canola oil
4 tablespoons ice water
Filling
6 cups thinly sliced peeled McIntosh apples (about 2 pounds)
6 cups thinly sliced peeled Granny Smith apples (about 2
pounds)
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch of ground allspice
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 large egg white, lightly beaten, for brushing
1. To prepare crust: Whisk whole-wheat flour, 1 1/4 cups
all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a
large bowl. Cut butter into small pieces and, with your fingers,
quickly rub them into the dry ingredients until the pieces are
smaller but still visible. Add sour cream and oil; toss with a fork
to combine with the dry ingredients. Sprinkle water over the
mixture. Toss with a fork until evenly moist. Knead the dough with
your hands in the bowl a few times—the mixture will still be a
little crumbly. Turn out onto a clean surface and knead a few more
times, until the dough just holds together. Divide the dough in
half and shape into 5-inch-wide disks. Wrap the dough in plastic
and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile, make filling: Combine apples, brown sugar, lemon
juice, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and pinch of salt in a
large bowl. Reserving 4 cups, transfer the rest of the apple
mixture to a Dutch oven. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the
apples are tender and beginning to break down, about 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat, stir in the reserved apples and 2 tablespoons
flour; let cool for about 30 minutes.
3. To assemble & bake pie: Position a rack in lower third of
oven; preheat to 425°F.
4. Remove the dough from the refrigerator; let stand for 5 minutes
to warm slightly. Roll one portion between sheets of parchment or
wax paper into a 13-inch circle. Peel off the top sheet and invert
the dough into a 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie pan. Peel off the
remaining paper. Scrape the filling into the crust. Roll the
remaining portion of dough between sheets of parchment or wax paper
into another 13-inch circle. Peel off the top sheet of paper and
invert the dough onto the fruit. Peel off the remaining paper. Trim
the crust so it overhangs evenly. Tuck the top crust under the
bottom crust, sealing the two together and making a plump edge.
Flute the edge with your fingers. Combine 1 teaspoon granulated
sugar and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl.
Brush the crust with egg white and sprinkle with the
cinnamon-sugar. Cut 6 steam vents in the top crust.
5. Bake the pie on the bottom rack for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven
temperature to 375° and continue baking until the crust is golden
brown and the filling is bubbling, 25 to 35 minutes more. Let cool
on a wire rack for about 1 1/2 hours before serving.
Makes 10 servings.
Per serving: 344 calories; 10 g fat (4 g sat, 3 g mono); 14 mg cholesterol; 62 g carbohydrate; 4 g protein; 5 g fiber; 143 mg sodium; 212 mg potassium.
Ingredient Note: Whole-wheat pastry flour, lower in protein than regular whole-wheat flour, has less gluten-forming potential, making it a better choice for tender baked goods. You can find it in the natural-foods section of large supermarkets and natural-foods stores. Store in the freezer.
To make ahead: Prepare the crust (Step 1), wrap tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 6 months. | Equipment: 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie pan
By Hilary Meyer
EatingWell assistant editor Hilary Meyer spends much of her time in the EatingWell Test Kitchen, testing and developing healthy recipes. She is a graduate of New England Culinary Institute.
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