When it comes to shedding pounds, it pays to shave any calorie you can. Even when you’re indulging.
With pies and tarts, the crust often is a serious caloric offender.
Pastry crusts in particular generally are loaded with butter or shortening.
But there are ways to lighten the load.
Paper-thin phyllo dough, perhaps best known from the honey-and-nut-filled Greek dessert baklava, can make a delicate and flaky crust that works as well for savory dishes, such as quiche, as it does for sweet treats like fruit pies or strudels.
To use the tissuelike dough, you must brush or spray small amounts of oil or butter between the layers as you stack them to make a crust. Cooking spray is the easiest — and most calorie-conscious — way to do this.
Eight or 10 layers usually are enough. And to make it easier to work with you can use two sheets at a time. Phyllo crusts also offer a time savings, as they don’t need to be pre- baked.
Packages of phyllo dough can be found in grocers’ freezer sections, alongside the frozen crusts and pastries.
Other alternative crusts can be made from cooked rice or spaghetti.
To make a rice crust, combine 2cups of cooked rice with a tablespoon of olive oil, a lightly beaten egg and cup of shredded low-fat cheese. For a quiche, press the mixture into a 9-inch pie pan and pre-bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees before adding and baking the filling.
To make a similar crust with pasta, cook 6 ounces of spaghetti, then drain it and combine it with 2 beaten eggs, 1 tablespoon of oil and cup of low-fat mozzarella cheese. Press the mixture into a 9-inch pie pan.
Try this spaghetti crust filled with layers of sun-dried tomatoes, spinach and ricotta cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until the crust is golden and crispy on the outside and the filling is hot.
Thinly sliced potatoes also make a wonderful savory crust. In this recipe, sliced Yukon Gold potatoes are baked to a crispy crust and filled with layers of melted cheese and plum tomatoes.
For the best flavor, a full-fat Gruyere cheese is blended with reduced-fat cheddar. You also can use only reduced-fat cheese. Serve this dish with a salad of crisp lettuce and slices of crusty Italian bread.
