Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar

Reactions on trying All Recipes’ Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar for the first time:

Bite 1: (*chews slowly, thoughtfully*) Uh huh. Uh huh. (*swallows*) Hm. Nothing … nothing … what’s going on here? All the reviews said this would be an insane new … YEOW! THERE it is. What kind of bizarro Twilight Zone tang IS that? My tongue! What’s happening to my TONGUE?

Bite 4: Okay, the crazypants epiglottal sensation has died down a bit, but I still can’t place this flavor. It’s sweet? It’s savory? I guess? Can I get some help here?

Bite 7: All right, all right. I’m getting this. Balsamic vinegar and strawberries … they’re Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford. One’s a sassy, be-afro’ed New Yorker and the other’s a tragically handsome Midwesterner. You’re not really sure they’ll work together at first, but they do, and it’s a beautiful thing. Then she sings and they break up, and you cry a little, but it’s all good in the end, because she’s found herself and everybody’s okay.

(That metaphor went off the rails somewhere.)

Bite 10: Wow. This is really luscious. I think this might replace strawberries and chocolate as my new favorite strawberry-related pairing. Who thought this up? Was it a chef? Some nice lady in Utah? Maybe it was accidental, like the dude who lucked on to vulcanized rubber? Whatever. I need to write a thank you note.

Bite 13: Holy moly. That was delicious. (*glances around nervously to see if anyone’s watching*) Hey roommates! Are you home? Anyone? Okay. (*raises bowl to mouth, furiously licks it clean*) Ahhh … yeah, that did it. I’ll be sleeping soundly, dreaming of various fruit/vinegar pairings if anyone needs me.

Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar
6 servings if used as topping
4 servings if standing as dessert alone
Adapted from All Recipes.

16 ounces fresh strawberries, hulled and large berries cut in half
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

1) In a small bowl, gently combine strawberries, vinegar, and sugar. Cover. Do not put in fridge. Instead, "let sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour but not more than 4 hours." Sprinkle pepper over berries and serve immediately. Vanilla ice cream, angel food cake, or pound cake make good partners.

Approximate Calories, Price, and Fat Per Serving
6 servings (as topping): 55 calories, 0.2 g fat, $0.29
4 servings (as dessert): 83 calories, 0.3 g fat, $0.43

Calculations
16 ounces fresh strawberries: 145 calories, 1.4. g fat, $1.50
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar: 20 calories, 0 g fat, $0.15
1/4 cup white sugar: 186 calories, 0 g fat, $0.08
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste: negligible calories and fat, $0.01
TOTAL: 331 calories, 1.4 g fat, $1.74
PER SERVING (TOTAL/6): 55 calories, 0.2 g fat, $0.29
PER SERVING (TOTAL/4): 83 calories, 0.3 g fat, $0.4

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Baked Apples and an Ode to Letterman

WOW. These Baked Apples are good. Let’s just start right there. Imagine an apple pie without the annoying crust part, and you pretty much have the idea. Dairy-free, virtually fat-free, and shockingly low in calories, they could be the perfect dessert for dieters. They're DEFINITELY the perfect dessert for lactose-intolerant vegan dieters.

I made them twice in two days, and would have kept going if we didn’t run out of fruit. (Oh, cursedly weak upper arms, why can’t you hold more grocery bags?) In fact, I liked the recipe so much, I wanted to do a Letterman-esque Top Ten list in its honor. So, without further ado...

TOP TEN REASONS THESE BAKED APPLES WILL KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF

1. They’re warm, tender, sweet, and generally tasty as all get out.
2. Also, the smell. Woof. Very nice.
3. The five-minute prep time doesn’t hurt, either.
4. They’re WAY more filling than most other desserts. This is partly because they’re fargin’ gigantic and partly because apples are rich in fiber, which makes you feel sated longer.
5. The recipe comes from Christopher Kimball’s The Cook’s Bible. Kimball is also the proprietor of America’s Test Kitchen and Cook’s Illustrated, and can absolutely do no wrong in my book. Case in point: he regularly sports a bowtie/apron ensemble and manages to make it look like a stunning fashion statement. (Marc Jacobs, take notes.)
6. They’re pretty with an interesting presentation, though you wouldn’t know it by my food photography. I’ve owned my camera for three years now, and I’m wondering if I should finally give in and read the directions.
7. They will impress the pants off family members.
8. They’re cheap! Mine came to about $0.60 per serving. That’s less than … half a load of laundry. And if it came down to it, which would you rather have, clean underwear or dessert?
9. Don’t answer that last question.
10. I’m running out of reasons here. This is usually the part where Letterman makes a bad Michael Jackson joke or something. I’ll settle for a bad regular joke:
    Q: How many kids with short attention spans does it take to screw in a light bulb?
    A: Wanna ride bikes?

One quick note if you decide to make these (and please do, before apples become scarce): Kimball mentions that Red Delicious, Granny Smith and MacIntosh varieties are bad ideas for Baked Apples, since they don’t hold their shape well. He suggests Northern Spy, Macoun, or Cortland as good options. I tried Idared, since the sign specifically said “GREAT FOR BAKED APPLES,” and they worked beautifully.

Now, go! Run! Make 'em! You won't be unhappy, I promise.

Baked Apples
Serves 4
Adapted from The Cook's Bible, by Christopher Kimball.

½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg (Double it for powdered nutmeg. – Kris)
1-1/2 cups apple cider or unfiltered apple juice
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon lemon zest
4 apples such as Northern Spy, Macoun, Cortland or Idared, washed and dried

1) Preheat oven to 350°F.

2) In a small bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a different small bowl, combine cider, vanilla and lemon zest. Set aside.

3) With an apple corer, melon baller, or teaspoon, core apples "without cutting through the bottom." (This is key.) Then, peel the top inch of each apple. (See picture.)

4) Stand apples up in a baking dish. Split sugar mixture evenly among apples and pour into hollowed cores. Pour cider mixture into the dish itself, and then cover the whole shebang with tin foil.

2) Bake for 30 minutes, "basting with cider once or twice." Check tenderness by gently stabbing the biggest apple with a knife or toothpick. If it's not tender, keep baking for as long as it takes, which could be anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour. (It depends on the general size of the apples.) Remove from oven and serve warm.

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price per Serving
214 calories, 0.2 g fat, $0.61

Calculations
½ cup sugar: 387 calories, 0 g fat, $0.16
½ teaspoon cinnamon: negligible calories and fat, $0.02
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg: negligible calories and fat, $0.02
1-1/2 cups apple cider or unfiltered apple juice: 180 calories, 0 g fat, $0.75
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract: 3 calories, 0 g fat, $0.03
½ teaspoon lemon zest: negligible fat and calories, $0.00 (you still get to use the lemon afterward)
4 apples such as Northern Spy, Macoun, Cortland or Idared, washed and dried: 287 calories, 0.9 g fat, $1.66
TOTAL: 857 calories, 0.9 g fat, $2.64
PER SERVING: 214 calories, 0.2 g fat, $0.61

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Respect for the Old School: Betty Crocker’s Angel Food Cake

We’ve been talking a lot about cookbooks around here the last week. On my end, it’s been super fun and educational, but it’s also made me very, very hungry. Like, I’ve-been-gnawing-on-my-hand hungry. (It’s delicious, if anyone wanted to know.) To sate this ravenous yen - for puffy, sugary things in particular - I decided to break out some Betty.

Betty Crocker’s New Cookbook: Everything You Need to Know to Cook was my very first cookbook. Or at least, the first one I used with any regularity. It had everything a poor, culinarily challenged college student needed in 1998: big pictures, easy directions, and cheap ingredients. (Er, nutrition wasn’t really an emphasis at that point. My metabolism was firing on all cylinders.) Some of the recipes were fairly impressive, too, at least at the time: Stuffed Peppers, Szechuan Pork, and of course, Pepperoni Pizza-Hamburger Pie (a.k.a. 20-Year-Olds Having Heart Attacks? This Makes it Possible Pie).

The zenith of Betty’s gastronomic masterpiece was, and continues to be, the Angel Food Cake. It’s airy, it’s sweet, it’s company-appropriate, and best of all, it’s fat-free. I’ve tried other versions (including Alton’s, which surprisingly bombed), but keep coming back to Betty. If you choose to accept her Angel Food mission, I might make the following suggestions:

1) This type of cake needs a very specific pan, which you can procure for a few bucks at any kitchen equipment store. A cheap one will last years (mine’s going on 11), so there’s no need to break the bank.

2) When the recipe calls for stiff peaks, it means stiff peaks. Underbeaten batter will result in a brick. It takes me many, many minutes of high-speed beating to accomplish this.

3) “Folding” means: “to gently cut down through center of egg whites, along bottom and up side of bowl; rotate bowl a quarter turn. Repeat.” Here’s another brief description from Kathleen Daelemans.

4) The recipe calls for cake flour. I use all-purpose flour (and always have). It works.

5) If you don’t have almond extract, use 2 teaspoons of vanilla. It works, too.

6) There will be something like 12 egg yolks left over from the cake. Don’t throw ‘em away! Instead, try one of the suggestions in this Serious Eats thread. (Perhaps a hollandaise sauce, madam?)

Miss Betty provided the fat and calorie information, so only the price computations are included below. Happy caking, everybody!

Angel Food Cake
Makes 16 servings
Adapted from Betty Crocker’s New Cookbook: Everything You Need to Know to Cook.

1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup cake or all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups large egg whites (about 12)
1-1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 cup granulated sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
½ teaspoon almond extract
¼ teaspoon salt

1) Preheat oven to 375º F and drop oven rack to the bottom rung.

2) In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar and flour.

3) In a separate large bowl, "beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed ... until foamy." Turn mixer to high and very slowly add granulated sugar (about 2 tablespoons at a time) into bowl. Once the sugar is all in, immediately add vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt. Keep beating until you get stiff peaks (which will be "meringue-like" and "glossy"). For the love of Pete, DO NOT UNDERBEAT.

4) Slowly fold flour mixture into egg white mixture, 1/4 cup at a time, "just until sugar-flour mixture disappears." When finished, push everything into an ungreased, standard-size angel food cake pan (a.k.a. tube pan). Using a butter knife, gently slice through the mixture a few times. This will eliminate air bubbles.

5) "Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until cracks feel dry and top springs back when touched lightly." (I also do the toothpick test. If the toothpick comes out with batter on it, put the cake back in for about 5-10 more minutes.) Remove from oven and quickly flip pan upside down. Rest on a soda bottle, beer bottle, or even a plate,  making sure the cake doesn't touch the plate. Keep it there for a minimum of 2 hours. Cake should be totally cool when you flip it back over. Gently "loosen side of cake with knife or long, metal spatula" to get it out of the pan. Serve.

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price per Serving
130 calories, 0 g fat, $0.21

Calculations
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar: $0.43
1 cup cake or all-purpose flour: $0.05
1-1/2 cups large egg whites (about 12): $1.79
1-1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar: $0.55
1 cup granulated sugar: $0.33
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla: $0.18
½ teaspoon almond extract: $0.06
¼ teaspoon salt: $0.01
TOTAL: $3.40
PER SERVING (TOTAL/16): $0.21

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Barefoot Contessa’s Orange Yogurt: Marry Me, Ina

One quick note before today’s recipe: reader Zac made a great point in the comment section about yesterday’s plastic container tip. If you do save these guys, it’s best not to microwave/heat them up. That kind of material isn’t intended for high temperatures, and can either A) melt, or B) leak weird chemicals into your food. With that …

My love for Ina Garten is boundless and well-documented. Someday, I imagine snatching her from graying, intellectual Jeffrey and whisking her away to Brooklyn, where her quality Hamptonian cuisine would nourish and enlighten all the borough’s hungry denizens. Alas, Ina-napping is at least illegal, and at most bad for getting into heaven, so no dice. But in lieu of her actual presence, I can keep making her food.

Today’s recipe is the very last listed in the Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, and easily missed among the Outrageous Brownies and Banana Crunch Muffins. It’s a simple Orange Yogurt, made tastier by the additions of honey, vanilla, golden raisins, walnuts and freshly squeezed juice. As with all Ina’s stuff, it’s pleasant, different and uncomplicated. If you can work a spoon, you can make this dish. (If you can’t work a spoon … maybe take lessons?)

A few points if you decide to take the plunge:

1) Wash the orange since it’s being zested. Otherwise, it’s Funky Aftertaste City, population: you.

2) There are a billion permutations for this thing and ingredients can be swapped out as you like. Food.com reviewers have some suggestions.

3) If you have a choice between generic yogurt and something slightly more upscale, I’d go with option #2. I’m finding our supermarket brand, while passable, isn’t necessarily conducive to meal quality.

4) Ms. Garten suggests using low-fat instead of fat-free yogurt. I used fat-free, because I’m contrary trying to lose a few pounds.

5) I had NO IDEA draining yogurt would produce that much liquid. I halved the recipe and still pulled out nearly a cup of water. Crazy. My roommate M was hilariously repulsed.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to attend to the crazy guy in front of my apartment who’s been yelling at a tree for the last five minutes. (This is not a joke.) Ahh … Brooklyn.

(Ina, get here FAST.)

Orange Yogurt
Makes 4 servings at about 2/3rd cup each
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa.

4 cups (2 pints) plain yogurt (I used fat-free, so calcs are for that. – Kris)
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup good honey
1 orange, zest grated
1/2 to 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
Orange, orange zest, raisins and walnuts, for garnish (optional)

1) Adjust a small sieve or wire colander so it's hanging over a bowl. Line it with a paper towel or two (or cheesecloth, if you have it). Dump yogurt in sieve and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. It should drain, producing a surprising amount of yogurt water. Discard the yogurt water.

2) In a medium bowl, gently stir yogurt, raisins, walnuts, vanilla, honey, and orange zest together. If it's too thick, a little orange juice will make it less so. Top with orange, zest, raisins, or walnuts. Serve.

Approximate Calories, Fat and Price per Serving
291.5 calories, 5.1 g fat, $1.07

Calculations
4 cups (2 pints) plain yogurt (I used fat-free. – Kris): 508 calories, 1.6 g fat, $2.00
1/4 cup raisins: 109 calories, 0.2 g fat, $0.45
1/4 cup chopped walnuts: 193 calories, 18.4 g fat, $0.58
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract: 18 calories, 0 g fat, $0.06
1/4 cup good honey: 258 calories, 0 g fat, $0.72
1 orange, zest grated: negligible calories and fat, free (comes with the orange)
1/2 to 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice: 80 calories, 0.4 g fat, $0.50
Garnish (optional): negligible calories and fat, (comes with the orange)
TOTAL: 1166 calories, 20.6 g fat, $4.31
PER SERVING (TOTAL/4): 291.5 calories, 5.1 g fat, $1.07

(Ina photo courtesy of foodieobsessed.com.)

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Cheap Healthy Party Food

With the big Giants/Pats showdown only four days away, it’s time to start thinking about food. What should you bring to a get-together? What will you serve at your own shindig? How can you keep from gaining 14 pounds in a single afternoon?

That’s where Cheap Healthy Party Food comes in. Gathered from five prominent websites, the following 60 recipes are less expensive, healthier alternatives to the chips/dips/wings combo typical of Super Bowl Sunday. Plus, as it’s a football game (THE football game), all the dishes are party-friendly. There is no spa food, and nary a spinach salad or fat-free flaxseed muffin to be found. Instead, the list is chock full of chicken, chili, pizza, and pie, just in lower-calorie incarnations.

To everything, there is a process, and my first step in compiling this list was narrowing down my source websites. (It’s a big internet out there, man.) I decided each one had to have A) lots of health-minded options, B) an easy search function, and C) reliable recipe reviews. After some consideration, I settled on All Recipes, Cooking Light, Eating Well, Epicurious and Food Network. (Oh, and Cheap Healthy Good. Hooray for self-promotion!)

Still, I was left with a ton of possibilities. So next, I had to come up with food criteria. It wasn’t easy, and unlike the Beef/Pork/Fish posts, my methods weren’t exactly scientific. But I eventually settled on the following:

• Each dish had to contain at least four servings.
• Recipes could not incorporate more than one semi-pricy ingredient. (A frequent issue with Epicurious.)
• Fat and calorie content had to be healthy relative to serving size. An 800-calorie stuffed mushroom recipe looks great until you realize is it only makes six mushrooms. (A frequent issue with Cooking Light.)
• The food couldn’t look repulsive in pictures. (A frequent issue with All Recipe.)
• Recipes had to have at least an 87% review rating (3.5 forks on Eating Well, 5 stars on Food Network, etc).
• Dishes had to be appropriate for parties where huge, hairy fathers of three paint their bare chests with Tedy Bruschi’s jersey number.

With all that in mind, I commenced searching. And the results? Are pretty sweet. John Madden would approve.

(As always, read the reviews for cooking and serving suggestions.)

APPETIZERS
All Recipes: Chicken Satay
All Recipes: Pita Chips
All Recipes: Garden Veggie Pizza Squares
All Recipes: Savory Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
CHG: Lightened Seven Layer Taco Dip
Cooking Light: Adobo Chips with Warm Goat Cheese and Cilantro Salsa
Cooking Light: Cheddar with Sauteed Apples and Brown Bread
Cooking Light: Goat Cheese Crostini
Cooking Light: Pinto Bean Nachos
Cooking Light: Starry Snack Mix
Eating Well: Boneless Buffalo Wings
Food Network: Chili Chips
Food Network: Parmesan Pita Toast Strips

DIPS, SALSAS, DRESSINGS and SPREADS
All Recipes: Avocado Mango Salsa (use gloves when working with habaneros)
All Recipes: Black Bean Hummus
All Recipes: Fresh Salsa 1
All Recipes: Spicy Bean Salsa (use low-fat dressing)
All Recipes: Sweet and Sour Sauce
All Recipes: Tequila Cocktail Sauce
CHG: Lemony Light Hummus
Cooking Light: Creamy Artichoke Dip
Cooking Light: Spicy Roasted Red Pepper and Bean Dip
Eating Well: Hot Artichoke Dip
Epicurious: Habanero Chile Salsa (use gloves when working with habaneros)
Food Network: Ranch Dressing
Food Network: White Bean Dip

MEAT MAINS
All Recipes: Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs
All Recipes: Pineapple Chicken Tenders
All Recipes: Yummy Honey Chicken Kebabs
Cooking Light: Ancho, Beef, and Kidney Bean Chili
Cooking Light: Mexican Black Bean Chili
Cooking Light: Real Texas Chili
Eating Well: Chicken Chili with Hominy
Eating Well: Pulled Pork
Eating Well: Thai Chicken Pizza
Food Network: Buffalo Chicken Salad
Food Network: Chicken Chili
Food Network: Chili on Rice
Food Network: Mambo Chicken with Mango Salsa
Food Network: Middle Eastern Chicken Burgers
Food Network: Oven Fried Chicken
Food Network: Sloppy Joes
Food Network: Stuffed Turkey Burgers
Food Network: Three Bean and Beef Chili

SIDES
Cooking Light: Apple Slaw
Cooking Light: Beer Battered Onion Rings
Cooking Light: Cheese Fries
Cooking Light: Classic Potato Salad
Eating Well: Wholesome Corn Bread
Epicurious: Roasted Sweet Potato Slices
Food Network: Grilled Red Onions
Food Network: Black Bean Salad
Food Network: Baked Smoked Chili Fries

DESSERTS
Cooking Light: Frozen Butterfinger Pie
Cooking Light: Fudgy Sheet Cake
Cooking Light: Oatmeal Spice Cookies
Epicurious: Apple Pie
Epicurious: Mini Chocolate Cupcakes
Food Network: Chocolate Vanilla Swirl Pound Cake
Food Network: Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Food Network: Coffee Angel Food Cake

CHG’s Super Bowl Week isn’t over yet, so tune in tomorrow for Favorites of the Week, and then again on Friday for A Tale of Two Salsas. (Mmm … Dickensian.)

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Wacky Cakes and Crazy Ladies

While certain neighborhoods retain (and deserve) their reputation as somewhat less than pleasant, large chunks of Brooklyn have become safer than four out of five Disney World Lands. (Land of Tomorrow harboring dangerous criminals, of course.) Still, no matter where you live in the borough, sometimes you have to be on your guard. Sometimes at the supermarket.

The Boyfriend and I decided to bake 14 billion Christmas cookies this weekend, for use as gifts, potluck submissions, and building material. In order to accomplish this, we needed butter. Many, many pounds of butter. So, off to Key Food we sojourned, where we were greeted by The Loon, self-appointed Keeper of the Dairy Section.

Though she bore no indicative Key Food employee nametag, we first encountered The Loon applying random prices on boxes of Coffeemate. She turned her attention to us when I, knowing it would be half-price at checkout, procured only one of the Buy One Get One Free boxes of unsalted Hotel Bar quarters.

I was a good eight paces away when I heard “Miss, miss! You forgot your free butter!” I turned, thinking a kind worker was trying to save me a buck. The Loon took this opportunity to grab my arm and guide me back to butter section, where we proceeded to argue over the pricing process of major supermarkets. It went something like this:

ME: Ma’am, thank you, but I’m okay.
THE LOON: No honey, you ain’t. Take this. Put it in your freezer. Don’t you want your free butter?
ME: No, I’m okay. Thanks.
THE LOON (pushes butter in my hand): No, here take it. You want it.
ME: Thanks, no. They go on sale for this price about every three weeks. I have two at home. They’re on sale for the same cost at Pathmark.
THE LOON: No they ain’t.
ME: Yes they are.
THE LOON: No they ain’t.
ME: Yes they are.
THE LOON: No they ain’t.
ME: Yes they … I gotta go.
THE LOON: Okay, lady. Whatever. (Puts butter back angrily.)
ME (ideally): Crazypants, I’ve written all about this particular subject for the last seven months. I keep a price book and shop here every week. You, on the other hand, are killing time hugging milk cartons and putting price stickers on your hat. Thanks, but you’re wrong and I’m good.
ME (actually): Thanks, though. (Scuttles away)

In retrospect, I’m glad the butter wasn’t shoved in my eye socket. And I’m super-glad that when The Boyfriend and I checked out, The Loon was being yelled at by a group of managers for unlawful use of a price gun.

This recipe, then, is dedicated to her. It’s Wacky Cake, a delightful vegan chocolate confection with no eggs, no milk, and most importantly, no butter. It was suggested by commenter Sally, and comes from the extraordinarily nifty Where’s the Revolution Blog. (If you’re a vegetarian, vegan, omnivore, carnivore, or harbor an unnatural obsession with tempeh, head on over.) The batter took about five minutes to come together, and cost a quarter to $0.50 less than most store-bought mixes. Top it off with powdered sugar and serve it for your favorite lunatic today!

Wacky Cake
12 delicious slices
Adapted from Where's the Revolution?

1-1/2 cups minus 1 TB unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup icy cold water
powdered sugar for garnish, optional

1) Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x8-inch square pan or a 9-inch pie pan.

2) In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Then, make three wells or indentations in that mixture. Pour vanilla into the first, vinegar into the second, and oil into the third. Douse everything with cold water and stir until all ingredients are just barely combined/moist.

3) Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 25 or 30 minutes, "or until it springs back when touched lightly."

Approximate Calories, Fat and Price Per Serving
178 calories, 6.6 g fat, $0.09

Calculations
1 1/2 cups minus 1 TB unbleached all-purpose flour: 654 calories, 1.8 g fat, $0.08
1 cup sugar: 774 calories, 0 g fat, $0.33
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa: 49 calories, 3 g fat, $0.32
1 teaspoon baking soda: negligible calories and fat, $0.02
1/2 teaspoon salt: negligible calories and fat, $0.01
1 teaspoon vanilla: 12 calories, 0 g fat, $0.13
1 tablespoon white vinegar: 3 calories, 0 g fat, $0.03
1/3 cup canola oil: 640 calories, 74,7 g fat, $0.20
1 cup icy cold water: negligible calories and fat, $0.00
powdered sugar for garnish, optional
TOTAL: 2132 calories, 79.5 g fat, $1.12
PER SERVING (TOTAL/12): 178 calories, 6.6 g fat, $0.09

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Lollappleooza Day 5: Cooking Light's Maple Walnut Apple Crisp

Last week, my brother’s girlfriend J suggested that CHG might wanna feature a dessert at some point. As we have matching rainbow dolphin t-shirts and I sometimes take pity on her for being a Bills fan, I nodded gleefully and started planning the mightiest of Lollappleooza-appropriate desserts: apple crisp.

But first - man, I gotta tell you – there are NOT a whole lot of straight-up, low-fat apple crisps out there. They all include something fancy, like quince nectar or dodo bird eggs. I had to finally settle for Cooking Light’s Maple-Walnut version after a few dozen decades of futile searching. It turned out to be a good decision, but don’t take it from me. Take it from an IM session between J and me:

J: after i read a book, i had some delicious apple crisp last night
K: Ooo!
K: I need details.
K: Like, bloggable details.
J: here are things i liked:
J: 1) the apples are thinly sliced
J: THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME
J: because nothing ruins a baked apple dish more than the crunch of an undercooked apple
K: Agreed.
J: 2) NUTS!
J: i was not expecting them
K: Hee. Nuts.
K: Did they all cook evenly?
J: yes they cooked evenly and not mushily, which is the other baked apple dish-killer
J: i looked at the nuts and thought, "NUTS?!"
J: skeptic
J: but you know how sometimes when you eat apple crisp and it's more like apple mush?
J: that didn't happen and i was happy.
J: oats alone don't stand up to crispiness
K: The nuts helped. Most excellent.
J: 3) it wasn't too sweet
J: i actually tasted more flavors than just "cavity bomb"
K: YES!
J: and i reheated mine in the microwave and everything stood up nicely
J: so thanks - E said he would try some tonight
K: Excellent!
K: Do you mind if I quote you?
J: go crazy
J: you can even make up quotes
J: i do it all the time

So you heard it here folks, straight from my brother’s girlfriend’s mouth: “Hands down, this is the best darn apple crisp I’ve ever tasted. If only Kris would come and cook for me all the time, I would give her a million, billion dollars and never speak ill of the Mets again.”

Oh yeah – before you get cooking, two quick notes:

1. Cooking Light has graciously provided the nutritional information, so my calculations include price only.
2. I used real maple syrup, which ended up not affecting the flavor all that much. You can probably cut a dollar or so off the total cost by subbing in some Aunt Jemima.

Happy eating, folks.

Cooking Light Maple-Walnut Apple Crisp
9 servings
Adapted from Cooking Light.

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup regular oats
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup cold (but not rock-hard) butter or stick margarine, cut into small pieces
3 tablespoons chopped walnuts
7 cups sliced peeled Rome apple (about 3 pounds)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1) Preheat oven to 375°F.

2) In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, oats, and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Using a pastry blender or 2 forks, cut in butter until entire mixture has turned into small crumbs. Add walnuts and stir.

3) In a large bowl, mix apples, syrup, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Pour apple mixture into an 8x8 baking dish. Top evenly with crumbs. Bake for 45 minutes, or until crumbs are browned and awesome-looking. Serve.

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price Per Serving
208 calories, 7.1 g fat, $0.62

Calculations
1/3 cup all-purpose flour: $0.02
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar: $0.22
1/3 cup regular oats: $0.09
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon: $0.02
1/4 cup chilled butter: $0.37
3 tablespoons chopped walnuts: $0.27
7 cups sliced peeled Rome apple (about 3 pounds): $2.90
1/4 cup maple syrup: $1.25
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon: $0.03
TOTAL: $5.60
PER SERVING (TOTAL/9): $0.62

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