Making whole-grain crostata is as easy as apple pie

Dear Jeanne: This is an easy way to make apple pie, and my family loves it. However, I am trying to use only whole grains, and I wonder if this could be revised to use whole-wheat flour and less butter. Thank you! — Marianne A., Champaign, Ill.

Dear Marianne: This is a "rustic" version of apple pie, but it looks very nice and is easier to make. The type of apple is important, and I like one with a sweet tang, like Golden Delicious, because they already are so sweet.

I find that whole-wheat pastry flour works very well in many recipes. However, when the fat in a crust is reduced, you can end up with a hard, tasteless "plate" for your filling, so the key is to add a tenderizing element.

In this version I tried low-fat ricotta cheese, and everyone really liked the results. Adding the egg wash and sugar to the edge may seem a little too fussy to some, but it improves both the look and the texture, and is well worth the effort.

APPLE CROSTATA

Crust:

11/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

10 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons ice water

Filling:

4 apples, peeled, halved, cored and sliced

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided use

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon allspice

1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon of water (egg wash)

2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted

To make the crust: Mix the flour, sugar and salt in a processor. Add the butter. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the ice water and pulse until moist clumps form. Gather the dough into a ball; flatten into a disk. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Combine the apples, 1/2 cup of the sugar, the lemon juice, cinnamon and allspice in a large bowl. Set aside for 10 minutes.