ATLANTA -- If mother always said you can't judge a book by its cover, you'll be happy to know she was right about "Crazy Plates" (Perigee, $19.95), the new cookbook by Janet and Greta Podleski.
There's nothing impressive about the simulated yellow-gingham cover or the subtitle, "Low-Fat Food So Good, You'll Swear It's Bad for You!" And if you were serious about writing a cookbook, would you use recipe headings such as "My Yammy Spice," "The Thigh Who Loved Me" or "Peas a Chance"?I might have stopped reading at the table of contents if I hadn't heard the rags-to-riches tale of the gutsy Podleski sisters. That would have been a big mistake, because although "Crazy Plates" looks like the corniest cookbook ever written, there's gold in them corn hills.
"The humor makes people try the food," Janet said, in a recent interview during a book-tour visit, "but the taste is what convinces them."
Neither sister is a professional chef, but since the smashing international success of their first cookbook, "Looneyspoons" (Granet, 1997), they've won a following well outside their native Canada.
Both of them had quit their jobs and sold all their worldly goods (including cars and a wedding dress) to write the book, which was rejected by seven publishers. A less intrepid duo might have given up when their bank balance fell to 80 cents and calls from creditors began pouring in, but the Podleskis soldiered on, convinced that their book would sell if they could just get it published.
Investor Dave Chilton became their partner after his official recipe tester (Mom) gave her seal of approval. The book became a best seller, and the rest is history.
The youngest of six sisters from St. Thomas, Ontario, Janet and Greta are also best friends whose approach to cooking could not be more different.
While Janet confined her culinary efforts to stirring up trouble (like leaving a dead bird labeled "pork chops" in the freezer) Greta enjoyed cooking from the moment Mom taught her how to beat eggs without splattering them all over the walls.
"But our mother still thinks kielbasa is health food," Greta said, laughing, and that became a problem when Mom wanted to lose weight without giving up her favorite sausage.
"She made us realize most people don't believe they can improve their health without giving up the foods they like or radically changing their lives."
The sisters decided to blend their freewheeling humor and practical knowledge into cookbooks they call "user-friendly and not intimidating." So far, it's been a winning combination.
Like their first book, "Crazy Plates" suggests moderation, not abstention.
"I try to cut as much fat as possible without sacrificing flavor," Greta says, "but there's a point when cutting more will really make a difference. I leave in some butter if I think removing it entirely will compromise the taste or the texture of a dish. Where a nonfat recipe might call for evaporated skim milk, I might use evaporated 2 percent milk, to cut some of the fat without losing all the richness."
Best of all, "Crazy Plates" boasts an outstanding collection of low-fat desserts. Those of us who shudder at the thought of the sawdust cookies, leather breads and rubber cakes we have fed to innocent woodland creatures after our failed attempts at "baking light" know this is a major coup.
From the creamy chocolate Do the Cocoa Motion Cheesecake to buttery cinnamon Mercedes Buns, these recipes turn out right every time, even if you're wildly distracted and mix the ingredients wrong or spill half the batter down your leg. (Not that I did those things.)
After reading that four sets of her "test-kitchen dummies" pronounced Greta's chocolate cheesecake "the best thing you ever made," I asked her about it.
If you don't own a springform pan, you'll need to buy one to bake the cheesecake, but the results are well worth it. If you cannot find chocolate cookie crumbs for the Do the Cocoa Motion Cheesecake in your food market's baking section, you may substitute any pre-made chocolate crumb crust
The recipes are illustrated with goofy cartoons instead of food photos, so there are no glossy images to live up to. And if you don't burst out laughing at Tuna Turner or Girls Just Wanna Have Fudge you may want to check your pulse.
DO THE COCOA MOTION CHEESECAKE
1 cup chocolate Oreo baking crumbs
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
Nonstick cooking spray
2 cups low-fat (1 percent) cottage cheese
2 cups low-fat sour cream
8 ounces light cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
3/4 cup fat-free egg substitute, or 3 whole eggs
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup Kahlua or coffee liqueur
Fresh strawberries for garnish (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 F.
To make crust, combine crumbs, brown sugar and melted butter in a small bowl. Mix well. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with a nonstick cooking spray. Press crumb mixture evenly over bottom of pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Reduce heat to 325 F.
In a blender or food processor, whirl cottage cheese, sour cream and cream cheese until smooth. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat together both sugars, cocoa powder and egg substitute on medium speed of electric mixer. Add cream cheese mixture and beat until smooth. Add cornstarch and beat again. Add vanilla and Kahlua and beat until mixture is well blended.
Pour batter into prepared crust. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Cheesecake will appear puffy and will jiggle slightly when shaken. Turn off heat. Open oven door halfway and let cake cool in oven for 2 hours. Chill overnight.
Before serving, run a knife around edge of pan and remove sides. Garnish with fresh strawberries, if desired. Makes 12 servings.
Nutrition information per serving: 283 cal., 6.6 g fat (3.2 g saturated fat), 12.1 g pro., 44.3 g carbo., 1.6 g fiber, 37.6 mg chol., 412.4 mg sodium.
MUST BAKE CARROT CAKE
Nonstick cooking spray
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup drained, crushed pineapple (see note)
3/4 cup fat-free egg substitute, or 3 whole eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
"Cheater's Icing":
1 tub (16 ounces) Betty Crocker low-fat vanilla icing
1 tablespoon frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, pineapple, egg substitute, buttermilk, applesauce, oil and vanilla. Stir in grated carrots. Add flour mixture to carrot mixture and stir until well blended. Stir in walnuts.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Set pan on a wire rack and cool cake completely.
While cake is cooling, prepare icing. Transfer icing from tub to a medium bowl. Add orange juice concentrate and orange zest. Mix well. Refrigerate until ready to use. When cake is cool, spread icing evenly over top. Cover with plastic wrap and store in refrigerator. Makes 24 servings.
Note: A 20-ounce can of crushed pineapple will yield about 1 1/2 cups after you drain it well. Empty the can into a wire strainer, and press down on the pineapple to remove the juice.
Nutrition information per serving: 235 cal., 5.8 g fat (0.6 g saturated fat), 3.1 g pro., 43.3 g carbo., 1.1 g fiber, 0.3 mg chol., 182.3 mg sodium.
COPABANANA CAKE
Nonstick cooking spray
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup fat-free egg substitute, or 2 whole eggs
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup mashed, ripe bananas
1/2 cup low-fat sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat together sugar, egg substitute and butter on medium speed of electric mixer. Add bananas, sour cream and vanilla. Beat again until smooth.
Gradually add flour mixture to banana mixture, beating after each addition. Batter will be thick. Fold in chocolate chips.
Spoon batter into prepared pan and spread evenly using a spatula. Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into 16 pieces and store in an airtight container. Makes 16 servings.
Nutrition information per serving: 185 cal., 5.1 g fat (2.1 g saturated fat), 3.2 pro., 32.2 g carbo., 0.8 g fiber, 9 mg chol., 183 mg sodium.