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All I Want for Christmas
Holiday dreams come true:
sweets you thought you'd never eat again, made healthier.
From the Eating Well
Test Kitchen, Photographs by Ann Stratton - Eating Well, November/December
1998
Yes, dear reader, there is a
Santa Claus. Each year, we hear from those of you with a burning
passion for treats you can no longer eat with a clear conscience.
You wax eloquent on the unforgettable experience of savoring
each bite of these now forbidden classics and express a deep
longing to be reunited with them - without anxiety.
As our holiday gift to you, we
reinvented your most indulgent recipes so you may once again
revel in their sweet charms. As it turned out, these proved
to be some of the most challenging makeovers we've ever
tackled. The recipes were so outrageously high in fat - the
crème brûlée had 42 grams per serving - we weren't sure
an equivalently delicious low-fat rendition could be achieved.
But persistence, know-how and perhaps even a bit of holiday
magic paid off.
The results were nothing short
of stupendous. We are proud to present this quartet of enlightened
favorites, each one uncompromising in flavor, texture and
appearance - all with fat and calories reduced to healthful
levels. Joy to your world!
CHOCOLATE-HAZELNUT TRUFFLES
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
3 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
2 cups chopped pitted dates (10 oz.)
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
2 tablespoons dark corn syrup
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon Grand Marinier or other orange liqueur
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
In a small dry skillet,
toast hazelnuts over medium heat, stirring, until light
golden and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate
and let cool.
Place
2 oz. chocolate in a small bowl. Set bowl in a small
skillet of barely simmering water until chocolate
melts. (Alternately, melt chocolate in the microwave.) |
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In a food processor, combine
toasted hazelnuts, dates and orange zest; pulse until very
finely chopped. Add melted chocolate, corn syrup, orange juice
and orange liqueur; pulse until mixture clumps together.
Line a baking sheet with wax
paper. Sift cocoa into a pie pan or shallow dish. Spray hands
with nonstick spray. Pinch off pieces of date mixture and
form into 1-inch balls. Roll truffles in cocoa to coat lightly
and place on prepared baking sheet.
Melt remaining 1 oz. chocolate.
Spoon into a paper cone or small plastic bag. Cut a tiny hole
in the tip of the cone or corner of the bag. Pipe chocolate
decoratively over truffles. Refrigerate, uncovered, until
the chocolate has hardened, about 10 minutes. (The truffles
will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for
up to 2 weeks.) Serve in paper candy cups.
Makes about 32 truffles.
TRADITIONAL TRUFFLES:
75 calories per serving, 6 grams fat (1 gram saturated)
EW TRUFFLES:
65 calories per serving, 2 grams fat (0.1 gram saturated)
65 calories per serving: 1
gram protein; 2 grams fat (0.1 gram saturated fat); 12 grams
carbohydrate; 5 mg sodium; 0 mg cholesterol; 1 gram fiber.
INGREDIENT
NOTE: Be
sure to use chopped pitted dates rather than whole dates,
which are too sticky for the food processor.
TEST
KITCHEN TIP: For
truffles without alcohol, use 2 tablespoons orange juice and
omit the liqueur.
Next: Crème Brûlée, Eggnog and Pecan-Cranberry
Tart >>
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