dish

By JANET K. KEELER, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published January 9, 2002

A weekly serving of food news and views

deconstructing
explanations from the inside out

croissant

The origin of this buttery, flaky roll is not the boulangeries of France at all, but Austria, circa 1680. Austria was as war with Turkey and it was the bakers working at night who were instrumental in preventing the capture of Vienna. They heard the Turks tunneling under their kitchens and alerted authorities. For their heroic deeds, the empress of Austria commissioned a commemorative pastry to remember the day and celebrate the end of the war.

The bakers created a crescent-shaped roll and called it a "kipfel." The designed was inspired by the crescent moon on the Turkish flag.

The kipfel arrived in Paris about 100 years laters with 14-year-old Marie Antoinette, the daughter of the Austrian empress Maria Theresa. She married a Frenchman, and bakers soon turned the kipfel into a national French breakfast treat. Croissant is French for crescent.

There is little difference between Austrian kipfels and French croissants. The French use more yeast so their rolls tend to be flakier because of the added puffiness.

Croissants, pronounced kwah-SAHN or kruh-SAHNT, are complicated and time-consuming to make. If you want to try your luck, check out the recipe..

constant comment

"So far I've always kept my diet secret, but now I might as well tell everyone what it is. Lots of grapefruit throughout the day and plenty of virile young men at night." -- Angie Dickinson, actor

cooking class

Tis now the season to be healthy, after the season of being jolly. To that end, substitutions can scale back fat and calories in recipes. The usual nonfat or low-fat products, such as mayonnaise, egg substitutes, butter and sour cream, are available at the grocery store. Here are some others: 1 cup nonfat yogurt, 1/4 cup nonfat milk and 1/2 teaspoon of coconut extract can stand in for coconut milk; 2 teaspoons cornstarch for 2 tablespoons flour for thickening; phyllo dough for pie crust; corn tortillas for flour; and pureed low-fat cottage cheese for ricotta.

this web site cooks

www.soupsong.com

This site offers more than soup recipes, though there are some interesting ones here such as Tanzanian Curried Chicken-Banana Soup and Vietnamese pho. There are soup jokes, which seem to be mostly from Milton Berle and mostly about the wife's lousy cooking.

Click on Soup in the News to read news reports that mention soup, such as this Dec. 15 report from the BBC: "At 3:30 p.m., on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, Afghan Balkh radio announced that Taliban and al-Qaida had been "destroyed forever' and followed it with a song called Bring Sweets and Soup Because the Guests Have Come."

for yogurt fans

In Eat Well the YoChee Way (Ceres Press, $18.95), authors Nikki and David Goldbeck offer a detailed guide to making natural yogurt cheese and plenty of recipes for using it. The writers coined the term YoChee, which the jacket blurb describes as zero-fat, calcium-rich, low-calorie and high-protein. The 275 meatless recipes range from eggplant lasagna, Indian lentils with curried greens and vegetable pot pie, to cinnamon streusel coffee cake or fruit and nut fudge.

hi-ho cheerios

Cheerios is celebrating its 60th anniversary with a limited-edition package that includes a Lone Ranger mini lunch box and two boxes of cereal, a current design and a replicated 1941 box. Cheerios, initially called Cherrioats, teamed with the Lone Ranger in 1941, shortly after the cereal's debut. For the next 20 years, Cheerios offered nearly 30 cereal box prizes based on the character. The commemorative package is $5 and available in grocery stores while supplies last.

adventurous tastes

A new show on the Food Network follows chef and author Anthony Bourdain (Kitchen Confidential) around the world while he eats any strange thing he can sink his teeth into. A Cook's Tour, which airs 10:30 p.m. Tuesdays on the cable channel, shows Bourdain in the United States, Mexico, Japan and Vietnam, among other places, eating poisonous blowfish, live cobra and bugs. Bon appetit!

blooming teas

January is National Hot Tea Month and what better way to celebrate than with Performance Teas that put on a show when you set them in the teapot? The tea leaves, which are tied together, slowly unfold into various shapes as they soak in hot water. Three flavors of Chinese green tea are offered: Brocade of Flowers (pictured, unfolding into a peony), Treasures of the Sea (clam shape) and Snow Lotus (lotus pod). Each bag makes 24 ounces of tea and is good for three brews. A box of three performance teas with directions costs $20 from Todd & Holland Tea Merchants. To order by mail, call toll-free 1-800-747-8327 or visit www.todd-holland.com.

- Compiled by Janet K. Keeler, from staff and wire reports

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