Cooking with Low Fat Cream Products

Low fat doesn't have to mean yucky or flavourless. Here are some tips for making great tasting, healthier meals using low-fat cream in your cooking.

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Cooking with low fat cream offers many benefits and few drawbacks. For those with heart trouble, a lower fat content means less saturated fat enters the body to clog the arteries. For those watching their weight, it means a lower calorie count and less fat consumed that will need to be exercised off later.


Some food connoisseurs fear that ‘low fat' means ‘low flavour,' but that does not have to be the case. In fact, these days food production is so advanced that you can hardly tell the difference between full fat and lower fat cream products - so there is no flavour difference at all. Below are some recipes using low fat cream products that are flavoursome and certain to be enjoyable.


Easy Low Fat Cream Cheese Frosting

• 225g low fat cream cheese


• 1/2 cup icing sugar


• 60g butter

Bring the low fat cream cheese and butter to room temperature, and then beat the cream cheese and butter together until the mixture is a uniform pale yellow instead of marbled yellow and white. Add the icing sugar slowly until blended. Use the icing mixture to frost a cake or biscuits and then be sure to refrigerate the leftovers. This recipe will frost one average-sized carrot cake.


Low Fat Whipped Cream

• 470ml light cream


• Dash of cream of tartar


• 2 tbsp sugar

Chill the cream until it is on the verge of forming ice crystals. Pour it into a stainless steel bowl that has been immaculately cleaned (any bit of soap residue will prevent the peaks from forming.) Using a whisk or an electric mixer beat the cream until soft peaks form. At this point, sugar may be added as well as brandy, cinnamon or other flavourings. Continue to beat the cream until the peaks are at the desired stiffness. Cream of tartar will allow the peaks to become stiffer. Use on top of a favourite pie or a bowl of fruit. Be sure to refrigerate the leftovers.


Savoury, Low-Fat, Sour Cream Dip

• 2 cups low fat sour cream


• 1/4 cup minced red capsicum


• 1/4 cup spring onions, chopped


• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded


• 1 tsp garlic, minced


• 1 tsp dry basil


• Black pepper to taste

Bring the low-fat sour cream to close to room temperature. Blend all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. (The capsicum can be chopped rather than minced, but the dip works better if it is minced as the flavour blends better.) Taste the mixture and add more garlic, basil and black pepper, if necessary. When satisfied, pour the mixture into a decorative bowl and decorate the top with a sprinkle of remaining spring onions and chopped fresh basil. Serve close to room temperature with corn chips or crudités. Be sure to refrigerate the leftovers.


AUTHOR BIO

Chelsi Woolz, domestic goddess, loves cooking with cream but can't really afford the extra calories. She is always on the lookout for low-fat recipes with for creamy pasta and desserts.