Painstaking gardener

A guide to cutting calories—but not snacks
by Megan O. Steintrager

Overview
Recipes
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I n our recent diet poll, Epicurious editors asked you to tell us which is the best diet choice: low-carb, low-sugar, low-fat, or low-calorie porcelain coffee mugs. Your overwhelming answer? Low-calorie, with 41.1 percent of the votes.

You're smart cookies, according to many nutrition and healthy-eating experts. "All diets are about calories, no matter what they're called—they all reduce calories, otherwise you wouldn't lose weight, " says Dr. Marion Nestle, Paulette Goddard Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University (the department she chaired from 1988–2003) and author of Food Politics, Safe Food, and the James Beard Award–winning What to Eat.
The results of our poll taken November 11–December 13, 2007

"A reduced-calorie diet is the only effective diet for weight loss," agrees Monica Reinagel, chief nutritionist for our sister site NutritionData.com and author of The Inflammation Free Diet Plan. "You can eat a low-carb diet, a low-fat diet dc motor 12v, or a low-sugar diet, but the only way you're going to lose weight on any of them is if you end up eating fewer calories. So the real question is: What is the easiest way for you to cut calories—by restricting carbs, restricting fats, restricting sugar, or just cutting calories across the board? What I think we've seen in your poll is that most people do best not by trying to radically reduce their consumption of any one type of food but rather by eating a little less of everything."

Keri M. Gans, a registered dietician, president of the New York State Dietetic Association, and a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, echoes Reinagel, saying that "a long list of 'You Can Never Eat It Again' sets you up for failure." Or, as Marion Nestle puts it in her characteristically droll tone, "Life is too short to not eat carbohydrates."

We listened to you, consulted the experts gucci handbags sale, and then created this package of recipes, products, and tips, all designed to help you cut calories without losing your resolve, your enjoyment of food, or your mind. Click on the tabs at the top of the page to get started.

There is a lot of cheese at the Fancy Food Show! I wait until the last day to indulge and I try to focus on the cheeses that are new or new to me. Here are some of note:

I always make a point of checking out the cheeses at Fresca Italia. The standout this year was Fiore de Bufala from Bergamo. It is the lightest fluffiest cheese I’ve ever tasted and yet unbelievably rich at the same time. Despite my ability to read Italian, the information on the website doesn’t tell me much about the cheese except that it’s new and made from 100% buffalo milk elyze.


Miette from Baetje Farms in Missouri is a bloomy rind sheep and goat’s milk cheese that melts in your mouth. It’s mild and sweet and very creamy and a little bit oozy near the rind. A really luscious cheese. All Baetje cheese is Certified Humane.


Milton Creamery makes outstanding clothbound cheeses. The Flory’s Truckle is made in Iowa from milk that comes from Missouri, and is an old fashioned style cheddar. It’s aged over a year so the flavors really develop yet the texture stays creamy. It has hints of caramel and a grassy finish.

Red Barn Heritage Weis Reserve is a three year old cheddar that manages to retain all a creamy texture while deepening in flavor. It’s another cloth wrapped cheddar from an award-winning family farm Business Education. They also make an excellent New Zealand style cheddar called Edun.

LaClare Farm is known for their award winning goat’s milk cheeses. Cheesemaker Katie Hedrich Fuhrmann is now making a cow and goat’s milk cheese called Martone, in honor of her great grandfather. It’s covered in ash and very fresh, aged just a week. The result is a fresh and creamy buttery cheese with a slight lemony tang, milder than most chevre.


I’m sure you know that feta the comes from different places. What I learned from Mani Imports was that there are different regions within Greece for Greek feta. In fact in Greece there are seven different DOP or protected designations of origin for regions of feta--the Peloponnese, Thessaly, Epirus, the mainland of Greece and Lesbos. I tasted Dodonis and Hotos feta side by side and was amazed at how different they were. One was drier, the other creamier, one seemed saltier the other sweeter. I am not going to say I liked one better dc motor, but rather just share that there is a whole lot more to learn about feta than just which country it comes from.

Along the axis of time slows to a crawl, sunlight and draw track, like August flower Phoenix fester in the rain here, a brilliant red. The setting sun quickly toward the horizon sank in the past, while sinking and discrete discounted gucci handbags, like the yolk was then spread to the whole of the sky, the sky was burning dimly.

If the time can flow, juvenile may linger in the take one's ease age, passed through the dark years, never wilt smile. However, our youth for his own footprints of youth, in the lonely years sang youth elegy.

Our youth is not understood the hours passed by. Happiness, is to find excuses in sadness; sadness, is lonely. For others to see the tears. We grabbed a pen, the crooked will youth write too confused. Desolation is perhaps the spring comes the precursor, but all the youth of too many emotional, too much too much. Time for the youth yellow memory, our youth in the street, the memories of the negative is bitter tears Sculptra, we will leave time to writing the youth.

Long ago, if we will youth story written in the palm of the hand, not to stray, do not confused. Maybe our youth will be preserved in a pot of wine, drunk on the road to the old. The story of youth, think he is a magnificent chapter, like the wind, gently across the earth the memories of the sea.

The evening, our youth in the unfinished is old, a different look life let us learn not to be strong, will rely on holding too tightly too tight, will forever as another appearance, let alone embrace, is flying, look at, is a row of street youth. Youth is the first residence trouble, but we will wind sway, broken faces, as if yesterday we began wandering...... Youth is just between us toss and turn restlessly. We are in the other Youth passes as a fleeting wave Code 9 Neogen. time......

Growing up. It happens to the best of us. Often I feel that there is too much “leaving behind” and “getting older” associated with growing up, and not enough “ripening” and “getting plain ole awesomer!”. It is, undoubtedly, a struggle sometimes, but it can also be one amazing ride. I like to lean towards the awesomer side and do my best to ignore the little creaks and crankiness of the former tube amp.

Besides, growing up doesn’t mean letting go of everything. On the contrary, I believe we shouldn’t let go. There are precious treasures in childhood that will never come again – wonder, curiosity, unbiased-ness, simplicity, the ability to be happy with only a shovel and a mound of sand. I say take them with you – you’ll be happy for their company on this journey. If you’d also like to keep a ratty old pillow that has been smoothed down to an impossible silkiness and whose smell can heal almost any hurt…well marie france bodyline, I promise I won’t tell ;)

And sugar spun confections too…let’s definitely not outgrow those. Layer cakes in whimsical colors, made and sampled right before dinnertime. We all need a bit of whimsy and irrationality in our lives, perhaps even more so when we are all grown.

As time passes, it is not our own growing up that surprises us so and catches us totally unawares, but that of our children. Little C changes so fast that I’m wont to press the slow motion button and just hold on to moments as tight as I can. And my little godchild Z is growing as well. That little girl we made bakies with now has more make-up than her mother and I combined (and she is quite the expert with it too…I am definitely taking her up on her free makeover offer)! She is an artist up, down and sideways, with music running through her veins. It’s nice to see that she hasn't outgrown sugar spun confections either Domestic Helpe.

We (godchild Z, her mom - best friend K, and I) baked this cake late Sunday afternoon, dividing the batter into three and trying vainly to get three different shades of pink while breathing in the scent of butter and sugar. It was delicious, like our bakies, but different too, like us. We used the recipe I used for little C’s first birthday cake – we divided the batter into three and tinted each batch with a different amount of pink food coloring. The batter was enough for 3 8-inch cake layers. The icing was a simple vanilla frosting we got here. I have to say again what a fantastic party cake this makes – yummy and easy to adapt in terms of theme and appearance. The greatest testament however is the raves it got from K’s husband – when a man raves about a pink cake you know that it’s more than just cute.

Now, speaking of children, and super spun dreams, my beloved blog grows too. After more than 6 years, I’ve finally updated its look and feel! I am still in the process of cleaning up (odd links, a more detailed About Me page, and so forth) but so far I love it! I hope you do too :) It wouldn't have been possible without the awesome talents of Patricia of Fancy Girl Designs. Thank you Patricia! And thanks as well to Dainty Mom, who led me to her.

So here’s to growing up while still keeping those parts that never grow up! To pink cakes and friends! To old things that keep us comforted and new things that make us giddy! Cheers!

I think in all my time as a Daring Baker (which hasn’t been that long, admittedly), I have been waiting for this challenge. Not this challenge in particular, but a challenge like this. Oh, I do love bread and sticky buns and cake and all...but there in the back of my head lies the dream of making something...patisserie-esque. You know what I mean, something pretty and chic-sounding, something you would find in your neighbourhood French-style patisserie (unless you live in France, in which case it would be a real live French patisserie, in which case lucky you!), something that I am never brave enough to attempt. Something that would make me feel like Audrey Tautou in the mood to whip up something sweet preamp. Yes, I know this French girl fixation has got to stop.

But not today! No, for today we make L’Opera!

As much as I was thrilled at this month’s challenge, I was also shaking in my black ballet flats. This little cake had five parts and five parts in one cake is still a daunting task for me! But I wasn’t backing down because: 1. I wanted to earn French points in the kitchen**, 2. I already pointed out what L’Opera was to C in our neighbourhood patisserie brazenly telling him that I would make it, and 3. I’m a Daring Baker ;)

The syrup – This was the first thing I made as it can be made way in advance. I flavoured it with some vanilla-infused vodka which was given to me by my friend M. I met her through blogging so I thought it fitting to use her fabulous infusion for a blogging event :)

The buttercream – My first time! Much trepidation here as I thought of hot syrup going into the whirling eggs in the mixer. I am happy to report that all went swimmingly! It came together like a charm and oh-my-lord the smell. Spoons and spatulas were definitely licked. I’ve made buttercream...yeah!

The joconde – Yes, another snazzy French name. You can imagine how thrilled I was to make it! I loved how this almond-based cake turned out. Light and fluffy and soft...a major achievement for me. I think this also had to do with my using a metal spoon to fold...a tip from Donna Hay to avoid deflating your whipped egg whites!

The white chocolate ganache/mousse – This was optional but I wasn’t about to scrimp. I wanted layers! This was a simple whipped cream type mousse – quick and easy to make. I flavoured it again with M’s vanilla/vodka infusion custom embroidery.

The glaze – A simple white chocolate glaze.

Assembly – This is the fun part because all the hard work is done. Joconde, brush with syrup, top with buttercream, another piece of joconde, more syrup, more buttercream, the last layer of joconde, more syrup. A nap in the fridge. Top with ganache/mousse. Another longer nap in the fridge. Top with glaze. Yet another nap in the fridge. Slice! Photograph! Eat!

The more traditional Opera is made with dark chocolate (or coffee), but for this month we have lightened things up! The only rule for the challenge was no dark colors/flavours...everything should be light and bright! I could have gone with light pink (very tempting...pink is my favorite color!) or yellow, flavouring with fruit or honey or liqueur, but I decided to leave everything as white as I could. A white chocolate and vanilla Opera...I wonder how that would sound?

I am very happy to dedicate this month’s challenge to Barbara of winosandfoodies.com – not only is she daring in many ways, she is also a source of inspiration to many (myself included). If there is someone deserving of an Opera full of light it’s you Barbara! Wish we could share a slice of this over a cup of tea and a long chat! :)

Please check our hosts’ sites for the complete recipe: Ivonne, Lis, Fran, and Shea! And for a gugillion versions of this cake go to the Daring Bakers blogroll bioderma matricium :)

**Ok, I was too scared to decorate it and make it nice and tra-la-la...one step at a time! Simplicity will have to do for now. This challenge did move me to buy my first ever palette knife and offset spatula (gasp-gasp, I know) so we will see what the future brings...