Looking for a pumpkin recipe with a little pizzazz? Try our recipe for Gingersnap Pumpkin Mousse Torte. Crushed gingersnaps and chopped nuts form a crust filled with a gelatin-based mixture of cream, egg yolks, pumpkin, Cool Whip and spices. The finished torte is drizzled with caramel sauce and sprinkled with more nuts. It's a delightful creation, but each serving contains 33 grams of fat.

For this recipe, we:

• Used Nabisco Gingersnaps because they are the lowest in fat we could find.

• Reduced the amount of nuts in the crust from 1 cup to 1/2 cup.

• Reduced the amount of butter/margarine in the crust from 1/3 cup to 2 tablespoons and added one slightly beaten egg white.

• Replaced the light cream with fat free half-and-half.

• Used fat-free frozen whipped topping.

• Reduced the amount of nuts on top from 1/2 cup to 2 tablespoons. To enhance their flavor, we chopped the nuts.

Results were excellent. There were definitely fewer nuts in the crust, but this allowed the flavor of the gingersnaps to come through. As for the pecans on top, they served more as a garnish. We sprinkled our chopped nuts around the edge of the pie to make an equally attractive appearance.

Reduced to 12 grams of fat per serving, this torte would make a wonderful ending to your holiday meal.

Recipe Rehab Tip of the Week: This recipe calls for a drizzle of caramel ice cream topping. Some of our tasters liked this combination of flavors, and some were purists and preferred their torte without the caramel topping. A dollop of fat-free whipped topping, sprinkled with the remaining nuts, makes a pretty presentation for this dessert.

Gingersnap Pumpkin Mousse Torte

1 1/2 cups finely crushed gingersnaps

1/2 cup chopped pecans

2 tablespoons margarine, melted

1 egg white, beaten with fork until frothy

1/2 cup sugar

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

1/2 cup fat free half and half

3 egg yolks

1/4 cup water

1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

4 ounces frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed

2 tablespoons chopped pecans

1/4 cup fat-free caramel ice cream topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl, combine gingersnaps, 1/2 cup chopped nuts, margarine, and egg white. Press into bottom and up sides of 8-inch springform pan or 9-inch pie plate. Bake at 350-degrees for 10 minutes or until golden. Cool.

In medium saucepan, mix sugar and gelatin. Stir in half-and-half, egg yolks, and water. Cook and stir over low heat until gelatin is dissolved and mixture just begins to bubble. Remove from heat.

Stir in pumpkin and spice. Cool 20 to 30 minutes. Fold whipped topping into gelatin mixture. Spread evenly in crust. Top with 2 tablespoons chopped nuts. Cover; chill 6 hours or until set. Drizzle with caramel topping. Makes 8 servings.

Before and after

Based on 1 serving ( 1/8 of recipe)

Gingersnap Pumpkin Mousse Torte		Adapted
Calories	488	305
Fat	33 g	12 g
Carbohydrate	45 g	44 g
Sodium	302 mg	262mg
Fiber	4 g	2 g
Cholesterol	106 mg	72
Calories from fat
	59%	36%

Nutritionists recommend those on daily 2,000-calorie diet limit their fat consumption to 65 g or less, cholesterol to 300 mg or less and sodium to 2,400 mg or less per day.

Karen Weber, Pat Streicher and Ellen Illig are registered dietitians at Jewish Hospital's Cholesterol Center. To have your recipes rehabbed, send them to: Recipe Rehab, Jewish Hospital Cholesterol Center, 3200 Burnet Ave., Cincinnati 45229.