An easy apple pie recipe, that’s low in fat and quick to make.
The trick to making a healthy, easy apple pie recipe, lies in using filo pastry. All the other types – shortcrust, flakey, puff – are high in fat, so save those for special occasions. For a homely, everyday apple dessert, you can’t go wrong with a quick little pie, made with filo.
I buy packs of fresh filo sheets from a local delicatessen, and you’ll also often find frozen pastry as well. Keep the sheets of pastry covered with a clean, damp tea towel while you make the filling, and only uncover just before you are ready to use them. Filo quickly hardens and dries out, and you want to keep it moist and pliable.
Another reason that this pie is especially healthy, is that it doesn’t have a top crust. The filling is cooked in little open parcels of filo, which crisp up nicely around the edges as the pies are cooked.
For other delicious ideas for cooking with apples, see
Makes 4 individual pies Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas 6. Core and slice 2 eating apples – no need to peel. Melt 55g (1/4 cup) low-fat spread and brush the tins or moulds. Take 4 sheets of filo pastry (thawed if necessary) and cut each one into 4. You can make the pies in 4-inch (10-cm) diameter patty tins or Yorkshire pudding tins. If you don’t have tins the right size, you can make moulds for the pies by pressing a double sheet of foil into the right shape and standing it on a baking sheet, before lining it with pastry.
To make each pie, brush 4 of the cut pieces of filo with melted low-fat spread. Press the first sheet into the base of the tin, then arrange 3 more sheets on top, at slightly different angles, so that you get points of pastry around the edge of the pie. Arrange the apple slices in each pie and crimp the edges of the pastry to cup the fruit. Mix together 2 tbsp low-sugar apricot jam with 1 tbsp unsweetened orange juice until you have a smooth syrup, then brush this over the fruit. Bake for 12-15 minutes until the edges are lightly browned.
