Apple Galette with Oranges in Cointreau – Great Taste, Less Guilt Pie

We survived the Thanksgiving feasting, but the memories remain… especially, the pies! Delicious, with handmade crusts and custard, pecan, sweet potato and berry fillings. The variety! The flavor! The rapture! We keep picking and grazing, not quite ready to give up tasting them long after the big meal — a bit for breakfast, a bite after lunch, a forkful at bedtime….

A little tasting here and there sounds so harmless. But, soon, some of us (me) find ourselves staring guiltily into the mirror. Yet, I pick myself up with the reminder that it’s okay to be slender in the summer and heavier in the winter. After all, a more Rubenesque figure is perfectly natural this time of year. Check!

We work out more and try and keep off the encroaching pounds that the silly season brings upon us. But it isn’t New Year’s yet, no need to make any firm resolutions. Be honest: if you had a choice in these cold holiday months between a slice of pie or a salad, which would you choose? I choose pie.

And now that all the Thanksgiving pie is gone, I still want more. However, in the spirit of discretion, and in keeping with our new post-holiday fitness, low-fat focus, a quick, great-taste-less-guilt pie is in order. We want one that takes less effort to make, and has fewer calories but is no less delicious than the full-strength, heavier, double-crusted and richer classic holiday pies. 

Apple Galette with Orange and Cointreau meets our new demands: give me a slice of pie, and do it quick with no crust on top! So go ahead, indulge and enjoy a great-taste-less-guilt pie for your holiday snacking!

Apple Galette with Oranges in Cointreau – Great Taste, Less Guilt Pie!

Serves 4

Use an 9 inch pie plate

• 2 medium-sized Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced thinly
• 1/2 cup Oranges in Cointreau syrup

• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup raw sugar
• Pinch salt
• 1 Tablespoon corn or potato starch
• 2 Tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the sliced apples in a medium-sized bowl and add the Oranges in Cointreau syrup and stir. Add the rest of the ingredients except the butter and stir thoroughly.

Using a store-bought crust or making my best-ever crust recipe, place an oversized disk of rolled out pie dough in the bottom of the dish. Add the apple mixture and spread evenly over the bottom of the dish. Dot the top of the galette with butter then fold the edge of the pie dough toward the center of the pie. Bake at 450 F for 15 minutes then immediately lower the temperature to 350 degrees F and cook another 25 minutes. Be careful not to over cook.

Serve warm with sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.