This Thanksgiving, you can put away the pie server, the pie plate, and even those forks because the pie you'll be serving up is of the grab-and-go variety--though it's so delicious you'll want to sit and linger over it! Just like petite pies in mini muffin tins were popular last year, this year it's all about hand pies. These tasty, versatile treats are perfect as a dessert after a holiday meal, in a lunch box or as after school treat. They're also a great single-serving dessert for all the holiday open house parties. If you remember the personal size fruit pies from your youth, fear not: I've cut more than half the calories and fat.
In addition to traditional fruit pies, you can turn these into portable lunches, too. Savory or sweet, these pies are easy to make and easier to eat! And they only take eight minutes to bake and 15 to prep. Let's get started!  The dough The reason my recipe was almost half the amount of fat was due to the dough that I selected. Most hand pies are made with puff pastry. The plus is that you can buy a good quality puff pastry at the grocery store, but the big minus is that it is loaded with fat and calories (154 calories and 11 grams of fat per 1 ounce serving). Traditional pie dough is also pretty high in fat and calories, with 110 calories and 7 grams fat. I went with phyllo dough, which has only 57 calories and 1 gram of fat per sheet. Paper-thin phyllo dough is not high in fat on its own, but in many traditional dishes, such as hortopitakia (spinach hand pies) or baklava, each layer is brushed with butter to add richness and aid browning. Today we cut way back on the butter and used a bit of nonstick spray. The filling You can fill your hand pies with just about any fruit, vegetable, lean cooked meat, or low-fat cheese that you can think of. The key is to make the filling flavorful and make sure the filling isn't too wet. Most fruits should be precooked to pull out some of the moisture. Sauté apples, simmer berries, or use dried fruits that have been rehydrated in hot water and drained. Frozen vegetables should be thawed and squeezed between cotton towels or paper towels to release excess moisture. Fresh vegetables should be blanched in boiling water then shocked in ice water to stop the cooking. Cooked meats and cheeses should be cut thin or shredded. The glaze Phyllo dough doesn't contain a lot of fat on its own, so it's not going to get that golden brown color on its own. While beaten egg whites, milk, and nonstick spray or oil will all give the outer covering of the dough a shiny look, they will leave your taste buds searching for that buttery dough taste. A bit of butter goes a long way in this recipe to brown the dough and add the richness your tongue craves. Rather than using just melted butter, I used brown butter. Brown butter (beurre noisette in classical cooking) is unsalted butter that has been melted slowly to allow the milk solids and butterfat to separate, then cooked until the milk solids have browned. The result is a richer butter that has a nutty flavor. Brown butter is often used in sauces and pastries. The process is simple, but you must remove the butter from the pan as soon as it browns so it doesn't continue to cook--you could end up with burned butter! I used the brown butter method in my Apple Hand Pies, which will be a perfect addition to your dessert course this Thanksgiving!  And since you'll have some phyllo dough left over, why not make a batch of Spinach Pie (Hortopitakia) for lunch. Or get creative and whip up some Thanksgiving leftover-themed hand pies. How about turkey, cranberry relish, spinach, and leftover sweet potatoes? What is your favorite kind of pie? Will you make hand pies this holiday season? Anyone make apple crisp during the holidays? Want more healthy recipes from me and fellow SparkPeople members? Be sure to subscribe to SparkPeople's Recipe of the Day email. Click here to sign up! Did you know SparkRecipes is now on Facebook? Click here to "Like" us! Like this blog? Then you'll love "The SparkPeople Cookbook: Love Your Food, Lose the Weight." |
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