The Philadelphia Inquirer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 76

F2 THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER Wednesday, December 3, 1997 Chef Peppi's Cajun Spiced Nuts By Lombardo Bui Rlbss I lb. shelled Another recipe for whiskey fruitcake that is mixed with Peg Bracken cheer Mix togetWjr 3ke at 325 Jtrviove row 10 rvimuT 'oven. Cool completely. row IaVix mCs Wrtln SDices coating well oven nuts Spread Remove pecan waives or uttpeeled 5 Usp wetted bwttev 4 Makes one loaf, up to 16 servings. Nutritional data per serving: Calories, 343; protein, 4 grams; carbohydrates, 47 grams; fat, 17 grams; cholesterol, 57 milligrams; sodium, 149 milligrams.

Note: This cake keeps very well if wrapped in foil and refrigerated. And, Bracken notes, "it gets better and better, too, if you buck it up once in a while by stabbing it with an ice pick and injecting a little more whiskey with an eye Kitchen Hints ByMoise Seasoning leaves out the salt, book, Emeril's Creole Christmas. Then, from noon to 2 p.m. Dec. 14, Philip Silverstone will offer tips on wines for the holidays.

Holiday display. Festive table settings and "architectural wonders" created by area pastry chefs will be displayed from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday through Dec. 10 at the University Museum. Featured are settings for international celebrations including Chinese New Year, Kwanzaa, Christmas, Hanukkah, India's Makra Sankrant (winter festival), and San Marco in Italy.

Lost and found. "I have lost the recipe for making maple syrup that I had clipped from your column. I have used the recipe for many years and most recently made it when we had guests from Florida," wrote Kathryn G. of Westville, N.J. "But now I can't find it." Neither can we.

But here is a more recent version of homemade syrup that may help. By adding butter flavor, you also can cut back on the fat from any butter or margarine you might have been slathering over your pancakes. Maple-Honey Syrup Vj cup honey Vi cup corn syrup Vi cup pure maple syrup Vi teaspoon maple extract Vi teaspoon butter-flavor sprinkles Mix honey, corn syrup and maple syrup in a microwave-safe pitcher or container. Heat on high 1 to 2 minutes until syrup is bubbling. Stir in maple extract and butter flavoring, mixing well.

Serve warm over pancakes. Makes VA cups. Nutritional data per Vi-cup serving: Calories, 195; protein, 0.1 gram; carbohydrates, 52 grams; fat, none; cholesterol, none; sodium, 35 milligrams. Have a question about food or cooking? Hunting for a recipe? Write to Marilynn Marter, The Inquirer, Box 8263, Philadelphia 19101. Items of interest appear in Feedback.

Our recent response to a reader's request for a bourbon-cake recipe prompted Jan Scholl, an extension professor at Penn State, to send her own favorite recipe in that category, along with this note: "You recently had a Kentucky Bourbon Cake in your column. Here is one that my family has used as a Christmas fruitcake for years. "It's from Peg Bracken's I Hate to Cook Book. It is especially good if made a month in advance and refrigerated or frozen in an airtight container or foil." This is indeed a more fruit-filled cake than our earlier version. Being loaf-shaped and somewhat smaller makes it easier to wrap for holiday gift-giving.

Also, it is easier to slice and serve for holiday parties and potluck suppers. We've left Bracken's Marilyn Marter Feedback whimsical introduction to the instructions unedited. Hootenholler Whiskey Cake 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter 1 cup sugar 3 large eggs, beaten 1 cup all-purpose flour Vi teaspoon baking powder Vi teaspoon salt Vi teaspoon nutmeg Vi cup milk Vi teaspoon baking soda Vi cup molasses 1 pound seedless raisins 2 cups chopped pecans cup bourbon whiskey First, take the whiskey out of the cupboard and have a small snort for medicinal purposes. Now, cream the butter with the sugar, and add the beaten eggs. Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg, and add it to the butter mixture.

Then add the milk. Now put the baking soda into the molasses, mix it up and add that to the batter. Then add the raisins, pecans and whiskey. Pour it all into a greased and floured loaf pan (S-by-9 inch) and bake it at 300 degrees for 2 hours. and turn p3 Store gently.

iHvi airtight -container upto 2 weeks. 10 mniwutes Turn off oven leave vuts in 10 minutes. not the flavor cookie sheet using a -cup measure. After freezing the potatoes on the cookie sheet, I placed them in self-sealing freezer bags and froze them. Now, when I'm in a hurry, I put 3 tablespoons of milk in a skillet and as many portions of the potatoes as I need, then cover, and cook over medium heat for IS to 20 minutes.

Presto, you have mashed potatoes. Peggy Patterson Clifton Park, N.Y. Dear Peggy: This sounds great for families on the go, and it is a real money-saver too. When potatoes are on sale, buy a lot, cook and process, and you'll always have mashed potatoes handy at a good savings. Send a hint to Heloise, Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279.

hamburger or a veggie burger? If its a Soy Deli Veggie Burger (garlic) vs. a 90-percerit-lean hamburger patty, the soy burger is fattier, according to a Nutrition Action Newsletter report cited in Muscle Fitness magazine. The lean-beef burger has 210 calories, compared with the soy burger's 230. But most other brands of veggie burgers are far lower in calories than beei burgers. Sun Belt pretzels Here's a new twist on pretzels.

Snyder's of Hanover plans to build a state-of-the-art pretzel bakery and warehouse in Goodyear, Ariz. It will be the first plant outside Pennsylvania for the Hanover, company. 'iwunchie Snack. ov larap wore. now stic and for cookie sheet you will know how long one batch lasts.

Nutritional data per teaspoon: Calories, protein, 0.4 gram; carbohydrates, 1 gram; fat, 0.2 gram; cholesterol, none; sodium, 0.8 milligram. Dear Heloise: A handy container is the Parmesan-cheese shaker. When empty, you can refill it with baking soda to use for cleaning purposes. The shaker top sure makes it easy for cleaning sinks, pots and pans. Debra Oubre Friendswood, Texas Dear Heloise: I bought a 10-pound bag of potatoes, and after not using them for a while, I was afraid the potatoes would start to sprout while stored in the garage.

I peeled the potatoes for mashing, then cooked them, and proceeded as usual to make mashed potatoes. I then covered a cookie sheet with plastic wrap and dropped small portions of the fluffy potatoes on the "only" (our word, not theirs) cost you about $20 or $25. Turkey tips How can you tell if a fresh turkey's really fresh? Roger Bassett, founder and president of Bassett's Original Turkey, has a few shopping tips for consumers: "Always look inside the cavity. The juices should look bright red and clear. Never buy a turkey when the juices in the cavity appear darker than burgundy.

Also, make sure the skin covers the breast completely. Cuts in the skin indicate a turkey that isn't certified Grade Where's the beefless? Which is more fattening, a real Dear Heloise: Please print the salt-free recipe I saw a while back. My mom was just put on a salt-free diet. Carol Fullerton, Auburn, Wash. Dear Carol: This flavorful salt substitute is a favorite with my readers.

You probably have the following ingredients on hand, so just gather them up and start measuring. Salt Substitute 5 teaspoon onion powder 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon paprika 1 tablespoon dry mustard 1 teaspoon thyme Va teaspoon white pepper Vi teaspoon celery seed Combine and mix the ingredients well and pour into an airtight container. You can use a recycled spice bottle that has been cleaned and dried well. Be sure to label it, and you can even include the date so Food Watch By Marc Schogol Truffles and flourishes If you're a serious truffle-lover with serious money to spend, this will seriously make your day. Assou-line Ting, the gourmet-food store at 314 Brown is happy to announce that its truffles have arrived.

French black truffles are $200 a pound, and Italian white truffles are "only" (their word, not ours) $950 a pound. The good news is that you can buy just one truffle. It will CoreStates SK i Organic foods growing in popularity, even as debate rages on health claims By Jennifer Lowe ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER From the kitchens of top chefs to community farmers' markets, the buzzword is organics. About the only place you won't hear debate on the subject is among bugs in the field, the place where much of the issue is focused. Although just a fraction of the food industry organics account for about 1 percent food raised without pesticide and farmed with minimal effect on the Earth is growing in popularity.

Health-food grocers offer many packaged products cookies, flour, dropper. Etneril live and more. If you missed the grand opening of the Kitchen Kapers store at East Gate Square in Moorestown, there are still a number of special events scheduled in its interactive show kitchen in the coming weeks, including an appearance Dec. 13 by the TV Food Network cooking personality chef Emeril Lagasse. And there's hardly a day between without a major food presentation.

On Friday from 6 to 8 p.m., there will be a demonstration and book-signing by Rittenhouse chef and radio personality Jim Coleman introducing The Rittenhouse Cookbook. On Saturday, from 1 to 3 p.m., chef Olivier de Saint Martin of Dock Street Brewing Co. will show how to cook with micro-brews. On Sunday, from 1 to 3 p.m., chef Tony Clark of Tony Clark's will share his recipes and tips. Chef Kevin Von Klause will demonstrate dishes from the White Dog Cafe, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Tuesday. You can pick up sweet secrets from Le Bee-Fin pastry chef Robert Bennett from 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 10. Island fusion dishes will be featured by chef Jack Gromacki of Katmandu from 6 to 8 p.m.

Dec. 11. Graham Kerr, once known as The Galloping Gourmet, will appear from 4 to 6 p.m. Dec. 12 with his 23d book, The Gathering Place.

The tempo will be "kicked up a notch" from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the 13th with Lagasse and the festive holiday fare from his latest cook early to accommodate shipping and storage time. Yet many factors affect taste, from weather, soil and water to the plant's heritage. "There's a little bit of a blind-faith attitude about organics.

People will say that's the best," says vegetarian cookbook author Deborah Madison, who discusses organics in her new book, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone (Broadway Books, $35). "I choose it when I can, but, in terms of taste, there are other issues to look at." Organic apples and cucumbers often can look dull and less colorful than their counterparts because they aren't waxed. And you might find a few more holes among leaves from nibbling bugs. Are organics more nutritious? There is little proof that the nutrient content of organic fruits and vegetables is any different from that of nonorganics, Artificial fertilizers, in fact, can improve nutritional value if they contribute nutrients, such as iodine, which is lacking in some soils, according to Foods That Harm, Foods That Heal (Reader's Digest Association, $30). The food industry is experimenting with upping nutrient value through genetic engineering of food, says dietitian JoAnn Hattner of Stanford University Medical Center, who has consulted with some agriculture groups.

"The most important thing is to get those fruits and vegetables every day," Hattner says. "If you want to use all organic, or a combination of organic and nonorganic, I would encourage you to use a variety. "If anything has harmful levels of even a natural toxin or something that has come from an environmental toxin, variety keeps you somewhat safe. Expand your variety of foods." Do organics cost more? Often they do, though not always. Price depends on factors including supply and demand, growing conditions, cost of labor and a learning curve for growers involved with organics, says Katherine DiMatteo, executive director of the Organic Trade-Association.

"But a lot of it has to do with supply and demand," she says. "If the market is there and the supply is low, the price is generally higher." You might pay anywhere from 50 cents to $1 more for organic produce. What about pesticide levels? Supporters of organics say it's best to eat something that has no pesticide residues. "Organics are grown under pro i milk made trom organic ingredi if Is ft mm oireSMes duction practices that eliminate the use of toxic and persistent chemicals both in pest controls and fertilizer, therefore reducing the risks associated with those particular substances," DiMatteo says. The pesticide issue has become a raging debate in agriculture.

Little solid information exists on the levels of pesticides humans are exposed to from food, however, making it hard to link them to health problems, says Charles Ben-brook, a past director of the Board on Agriculture of the National Academy of Sciences, writing in the June issue of Nutrition Action Health Letter. Researchers have found that organic produce typically does not contain detectable levels of pesticide. According to the Environmental Working Group, a Washington consumer group that analyzed Food and Drug Administration data, these fruits and vegetables are most likely to contain the most pesticide residues (before washing): strawberries, cherries, apples, Mexican-grown cantaloupe, apricots, Chilean grapes, blackberries and pears. The least likely to contain residues: avocados, green onions, corn, onions, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, green peas, carrots and bananas. Today's Recipes Gingerbread (for Cookies and Construction) F7 Royal Icing I (Quick-Set Mortar) F7 Royal Icing II (Frosting or Decoration) F7 Greek Steak Salad F7 Cinnamon Apple Crisp F7 Salt Substitute F2 Maple-Honey Syrup F2 Hootenholler Whisky Cake F2 To Our Readers Recipe nutrition analysis is done by the Inquirer staff using industry-standard computer software.

Results are approximate, and do not include optional or to-taste ingredients. When a choice of ingredients is given, the analysis is based on the first one listed; when a range of ingredient measures is given, the smallest amount is used. The analysis is also based on the highest number of servings (if the recipe serves 4 to 6, the analysis is based on 6). POSTER MIGHT FREE TEAM POSTER ents. And grocery stores now sell organic lettuce, spinach, potatoes and other produce alongside what they've always carried.

Sales of organic foods have grown about 20 percent a year since 1990, according to the industry. Ten to 20 years ago, health-food stores sold organics that were less than perfect-looking specimens of the plant world. That has changed, though, as growing techniques improve and the industry develops, thanks in part to Wall Street investments. Organic farmers raise crops without pesticides or chemical fertilizers. Methods to keep bugs away include planting decoy crops that attract pests from the main crop, using botanical insecticides, and plucking tomato hornworms by hand.

Labor crews often weed by hand as well. Soil must be sustainable; crop rotation, composting and other care must protect and build it. Though the term organics often refers to produce, the market also includes meat, wine, milk, candy and baby food. Even baby-food manufacturer Gerber recently introduced Tender Harvest, an organic baby food. But does it taste any different than the traditional commercial foods? Celebrity chef Mary Sue Milliken, of the television show Too Hot Ta-males, is among a number of well-known cooks across the country who prefer organics.

"I find that the flavor is often better you get more of the vegetable flavor," says Milliken, who, with partner Susan Feniger, runs the Border Grill in Santa Monica, Calif. They once held a blind taste test for food writers comparing organic and nonorganic produce, and organic won, hands down, Milliken says. In some cases, organic may taste better because it remains in the field or on the vine longer, coming directly to the market at the last minute, rather than being picked Sunday December 7, 7:00 PM ABL Defending Champions Columbus Quest vs. Philadelphia Rage at The Palestra For Ticket Information Call:.