For our German foods issue, we chose a baked apple dessert to rehab. It may not be an authentic strudel, but it is reminiscent of German fruit-filled desserts.

        Sue Warren of Blue Ash sent this recipe for Warm Apple and Dried Cherry Crisp. It's an old-fashioned dessert with a new addition — dried cherries — which are mixed with Granny Smith apples and covered with a crunchy oatmeal-based topping. Since it had only one high fat ingredient (butter), Sue felt this recipe already was low in fat. However, each serving contained 13 grams of fat. We knew we could do better.

        This crisp is a perfect example of how easy rehabbing can be. The dessert contained a stick of butter — a hefty amount for only eight servings. We replaced the butter with 7 tablespoons of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light, and it worked like a charm.

        Light margarine has more water than oil. As a result, it doesn't work well in cakes and crumb crusts. In a topping such as this, however, the water adds moisture to wet the crumbs, which are then “crisped” in the baking process.

        With only 5 grams of fat per serving, our adapted Warm Apple and Dried Cherry Crisp will be the perfect ending to your Oktoberfest celebration.

        Tip of the week: This dessert is very sweet. You can reduce the sugar from 3/4 to 1/2 cup in the topping and from 1/2 cup to 6 tablespoons in the apple mixture. It would not be quite as sweet, and reduce the calories to 292.

        Oktoberfest tip: Popular German items include the notoriously high fat bratwursts and mettwursts. Thanks to Blue Grass “Deliciously Lean” brand, low fat options are available. These sausages (available at the grocery) have 65 percent less fat and only 6 grams of fat per a 2.4 ounce portion.
        Karen Weber, Pat Streicher and Ellen Illig are registered dietitians at Jewish Hospital Cholesterol Center. Recipe Rehab Cookbook ($18), five yearly recipe supplements ($25 or $6.25 each), or a complete set ($40) are available by sending check or money order to: RR Cookbook, PO Box 58100, Cincinnati 45258.

Warm Apple & Cherry Crisp

       1 1/2 cups rolled oats
        3/4 cup packed brown sugar
        1/2 cup flour
       2 teaspoons cinnamon, divided
        3/4 teaspoon salt
       7 tablespoons light (5 grams fat per tablespoon) margarine, melted
       4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1-inch chunks
       3 ounces ( 1/2 cup) dried tart cherries
        1/2 cup sugar
       2 tablespoons honey
       1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
       Pinch nutmeg

        Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Set baking sheet in bottom of oven to catch spills. In medium bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, and salt. Add margarine; toss until evenly moistened; pinch into large crumbs.

        In large bowl, toss apples, cherries, sugar, honey, lemon juice, nutmeg and remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Spread apple mixture in 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Scatter crumbs over apples to edge. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes, or until apples are tender and topping is golden. Let rest for 30 minutes. Serve warm. Makes 8 servings.
       

Before and after
               Values based on 1 serving (í of recipe)
       Warm Apple & Dried Cherry Crisp...Dried Cherry Crisp
       Calories....388...330
       Fat.........13 g..5 g
       Carbohydrate...68g...68g
       Sodium.........231 mg...309 mg
       Cholesterol....31 mg..0 mg
       Calories
       from fat.......28%...14%
        Nutritionists recommend those on a daily 2,000 calorie diet limit their fat consumption to 65 grams or less, cholesterol to 300 mg or less and sodium to 2,400 mg or less per day.
       

Required Reading
        The German Cookbook: A Complete Guide to Mastering Authentic German Cooking (Random House; $34.95) by Mimi Sheraton.

        There aren't many German cookbooks, particularly recent ones. But if you want an encyclopedic reference that tells you how to cook everything from Nudelsuppe and Hasenpfeffer to Kirschtorte, this classic, published in 1965, will do nicely. Your hand will not be held as you try the recipes — they are straightforward and assume basic cooking knowledge. But you will learn about regional differences, about German eating customs and history. And 19 ways to prepare potatoes.

Uncommon Knowledge
        The most important rule of etiquette when eating boiled potatoes in Germany is that they must be broken with a fork, never, never cut with a knife. Doing so marks you as a boor and an illiterate — just the way cutting spaghetti with a knife does in Italy.

        — Source: The German Cookbook

Potato Pointers
        • When choosing potatoes for baking, mashing or frying, look for a high-starch potato, such as a russet, Idaho or Burbank. Low in moisture and high in starch, they bake up fluffy and make mashed potatoes that soak up plenty of milk and butter.

        • When choosing potatoes for roasting or using in a gratin, look for a medium-starch, all-purpose potato, such as a white, blue or purple, or one of the golden-fleshed potatoes, such as Yellow Finn or Yukon Gold. They're more moist than high-starch potatoes and hold their shape well.

        • When choosing potatoes for salads, use a low-starch potato such as a red-skinned or white California potato. Sometimes called waxy potatoes, these hold their shape better than other types of potatoes. • Store potatoes in a cool, dark place with good air circulation for no more than a few weeks. A hanging basket inside a pantry is a good spot. Avoid storing potatoes next to onions. They shorten each other's shelf life.

        — From Brilliant Food Tips and Cooking Tricks (Rodale; $29.95) by David Joachim.
       

Campbell's Scoop
        Where to take someone who doesn't want Oktoberfest to end:

        The Black Forest Restaurant in West Chester Township. There's always live music on Friday and Saturday. From this weekend through October, it's David Hughes on accordion. Every weekend in October, dancing by the Schuhplatlers will be featured. 8676 Cincinnati-Columbus Road. 777-7600.
        optional
       

Learn To Cook
        These cooking schools offer classes different times of the year. Call for schedules and prices.

        • Cooks' Wares, Shops at Harper's Point, Symmes Township. 489-6400.

        • Cooking School at Jungle Jim's Market, Fairfield. 829-1919, Ext. 3.

        • Culinary Sol, Rookwood Commons, Norwood. 841-2665.

        • Dorothy Lane Market School of Cooking, Dayton. (937) 434-1294.

        • Kremer's Market Cooking Classes, Crescent Springs. 341-1067.

        • Restaurant Equipment Outlet's Cooking Classes, Northside. 542-5900.

        • Wild Oats, Rookwood Commons, Norwood. 531-8015.

        • Williams-Sonoma Grand Cuisine, Kenwood Towne Centre, 793-3445.

Gutes Essen, gute Laune!
Turning energy into healing
Authentic German recipes include Tristate favorites
Fruit crisp project simple, successful
German brand tops sauerkraut taste test
Oktoberfest beers uphold German tradition
Restaurant schnitzel
Rieslings should be poured at Oktoberfest
Schnitzel Recipes
3 Doors Down sounds familiar
CDs capture glory days of Cincinnati radio
Body & mind
Get to it