Heavy Cream

A zebra cheesecake was the request sent in by Rich Kudzin of Hudson, Ill. "Don't get confused with the recipe for a marble cheesecake because it is not the one," he wrote. The chosen response came from Paula Merkle of Baltimore, who noted, "I cut this out of Good Housekeeping (December 1990). It is great.Ruth D. Mullinix of Baldwin requested "a tomato aspic recipe similar to the one served at the Woman's Industrial Exchange in Baltimore." Her response came from Beth Hunter of Timonium, who pointed out that "this is one of my favorite foods, but an affinity not shared by my family.

Fresh and fuzzy green okra, right out of your garden or the produce market, can become a pickle to remember, even in a martini.A request for the recipe came from C. Bryant of Hawesville, Ky. whose answer came from A. T. Castleberry of Longview, Wash., who wrote "I may live in Washington state but I was born and raised in Arkansas and I love okra in any form."Castleberry's pickled okraMakes 10 pints4 1/2 pounds okra, small or medium8 cups cider vinegar1 cup water1/2 cup salt10 cloves of garlic, peeled10 hot red peppers10 teaspoons dill seed10 teaspoons mustard seedWash okra and brush lightly with a piece of nylon net or brush to remove the fuzz.

Food has always been one of the best incentives to travel. "World Class Cuisine," a television show on the Discovery Channel, and the title of the companion cookbook by Gail Grecco (Rutledge Hill Press) brings the faraway shores of Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Scotland and England to our doorstep.This production focuses on the elegant cuisines of these foreign lands. While the travelog highlights the recipes, it also shows the fresh-air markets, butchers and the inns or restaurants that are important points along the culinary landscape.

Brewing up a meal, and then someBeer will be on the menu as well as in the glass when Candy Schermerhorn, author of the the "Great American Beer Cookbook," comes to Sisson's, South Baltimore's restaurant-microbrewery, on April 18. Ms. Schermerhorn will be available from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. to sign copies of her book. Then, at 7 p.m., chef Bill Aydlett will prepare a dinner using dishes from the book, as well as his own recipes for cooking with beer. Each course will be accompanied by a beer that complements the flavors of the food; beers from a number of local microbreweries will be included.

Mapping ballpark foodIf your trips to Oriole Park at Camden Yards are not frequent, you may have a hard time remembering exactly where you got that great crab cake the last time. Was it on the main concourse, or the upper level? First-base side or behind home plate? Or was it on Eutaw Street?ARA Leisure Services, which provides food at the ballpark, wants everyone to be able to find their favorite spot. They've put together a pocket-size pamphlet called the "Hungry FanDirectory," which locates all the stands and the warehouse dining places and describes what each serves.

In recent years restaurants have been booked weeks in advance for the evening of Valentine's Day. Forget their crowded dining rooms and have your own celebration at home.Relax and plan a meal that puts the least strain on you. Save the plucking of Cupid's bow for dessert. Chocolate, what else?But not any old chocolate. There is a whole gorgeous bookful of dark inspirations in "Death by Chocolate" by Marcel Desaulniers (Rizzoli). The following recipe makes the perfect, wicked finale to dinner.

Somehow, you just knew the combination of Lee Bailey and New Orleans would produce something really spectacular.How does a dessert that's pushing 1,000 calories a serving sound?Bananas Foster shortcake starts with fat, banana-flavored biscuits that are good enough for breakfast on their own. A warm sauce -- equal parts cream and brown sugar doctored with rum and banana liqueur -- blankets slices of banana. A dollop of whipped cream nudges the calorie count up to 922.This decadent creation is from "Lee Bailey's New Orleans" (Clarkson Potter, $30)

Ice cream lovers start cranking. Summer is in full bloom.But the main ingredients in many homemade ice cream recipes -- heavy cream and eggs -- are out of favor because they're high in fat and cholesterol. Then there's the concern about using raw eggs in recipes that aren't cooked before freezing.Suddenly, homemade ice cream is right up there with sunburns on the list of things to watch out for.Egg yolks and cream are the big fat culprits in homemade ice cream. Making substitutions is tricky.

An easy-to-make cake which begins in a cold oven and come out a warm tasty treat is perfect for after dinner.Marie Wingrove of Baltimore requested the recipe for cold-oven pound cake. There were a bumper crop of responses, many of which were similar, making it difficult for Chef Syglowski of the Baltimore International Culinary College to choose one.The chef chose one from Lynne Berger of Pikesville, who wrote that she has made this cake for many years "from an old cookbook called 'Grannie's Goodies From Somerset County' which I bought from a nursing home in that county.

Fragrant fennel is often said, unfairly, to taste like licorice. In fact the taste is light and delicate, elusive rather than persistent, and a perfect complement to salads, soups and stews.Fennel is closely associated with Italian cuisine and, according to Elizabeth Schneider's "Uncommon Fruits & Vegetables, A Commonsense Guide," ancient Romans used fennel to season pork, lamb, seafood and beans. Modern Italians still make a fennel and pork sausage. Fennel is available from early fall through late spring.

Want to save a few calories at Thanksgiving? You can save 9 grams of fat, including 7 grams saturated fat, for every 1/4 cup of whipped cream you dole out on that pie - if you've whipped evaporated milk sweetened with powdered sugar and vanilla instead. You'll also cut 75 calories. You can find instructions on how to use evaporated milk as a whipped cream substitute, and how to make it stay "whipped" up to 30 minutes, at verybestbaking.com. Whipped heavy cream (without sugar) Per 1/4 cup: 100 calories 0 grams protein 10 grams fat 8 grams saturated fat 0 grams carbohydrate 0 grams fiber 40 milligrams cholesterol 10 milligrams sodium Whipped topping with evaporated milk, powdered sugar and vanilla Per 1/4 cup: 25 calories 3 grams protein 1 gram fat 1 gram saturated fat 3 grams carbohydrate 0 grams fiber 5 milligrams cholesterol 15 milligrams sodium Nutritional analysis for heavy cream from package, based on doubled volume when whipped, and for evaporated milk recipe from verybestbaking.

Ann Mitchell of Pittsfield, Mass., was looking for a recipe for a lemon cake similar to the one that someone brought to a party some years ago. It was made with pieces of angel food cake, lemon pudding and whipped cream layered in a springform pan and chilled. Helen Kimpel, also from Pittsfield, thought she had the recipe. She found it in a magazine a long time ago and it continues to be the dessert most asked for in her family. She says that over the years she has made some changes to the original recipe and now makes it in a cut-glass bowl instead of putting it in a mold.

Patricia Coyle of West Palm Beach, Fla., was looking for a recipe for rice pudding that is baked instead of prepared on the stove top like most she has used. The particular recipe she used to have for the baked version was made with heavy whipping cream and she said it was "wonderful!" Dorothy McMann of Perry Hall e-mailed a recipe she got when she visited Williamsburg, Va., some years ago. While this particular recipe calls for whole milk, not heavy cream, there would be no reason why you could not substitute heavy cream if you were not concerned about the calorie count.

I have always been amazed by the delectable ways the French have for preparing eggs. Last month, while in Paris, I ordered an oeuf en cocotte au crabe and l'estragon - which translates as an egg baked in a dish with crab and tarragon. After my first bite, I was in heaven. All I could think of while savoring this creation was that this recipe would be ideal to serve for brunch or for a special breakfast when we have overnight guests. It was simple, yet sophisticated, and didn't take long to assemble or bake.

All the Presidents' Pastries Twenty-five Years in the White House White House Chef By Walter Scheib and Andrew Friedman John Wiley & Sons / 2007 / $24.95 Like Roland Mesnier, Walter Scheib, the executive White House chef for 11 years for the Clintons and the family of George W. Bush, reveals no state secrets, but he is remarkably candid in his description of how he got along (or didn't get along) with his employers. The Maryland native, who was fired early in Bush's second term, hardly hides his disdain for the president's preferred lunch fare - peanut-butter-and-honey sandwiches and grilled cheese made with Kraft Singles.

For a drink that appears only about six weeks of every year, eggnog takes many forms. According to The Dictionary of American Food & Drink by John F. Mariani, the word "nog" is an Old English term for ale, but eggnog was often made in England with Spanish red wine. In America, the book says, spirits took the place of wine, but those have varied, too -- from rum to brandy to bourbon, or a combination. Then there's the more serious safety debate: Should the eggs in the nog be cooked or uncooked?

Magnolias: Authentic Southern Cuisine By Donald Barickman The Boathouse Tales and Recipes From a Southern Kitchen By Douglas W. Bostick and Jason R. Davidson Joggling Board Press / 2006 / $26.95 More history than kitchen guide, this attractive cookbook tells the story of the Carolinas through food. Arresting photographs - only a small portion of which are actually of the finished dishes - are displayed next to stories about how ingredients such as asparagus and okra made their way to the region.

What is the difference between heavy cream and whipping cream anyway? The Code of Federal Regulations defines cream as "the liquid milk product high in fat separated from milk" that must contain not less than 18 percent milk fat. Light cream contains between 18 percent and 30 percent milk fat; light whipping cream (also called whipping cream) contains between 30 percent and 36 percent milk fat; heavy cream contains at least 36 percent milk fat. The more fat cream has, the better and easier it will whip.

Ruth Wignot of Lenior City, Tenn., was looking for a recipe for a cheesecake that uses an artificial sweetener in place of sugar. Janet Morrissey of Baltimore sent in a recipe for what she says is "without a doubt the best sugar-free cheesecake around." It is from George Stella's Food Network show, Low Carb and Lovin' It. The recipe is for a crustless cheesecake, but Morrissey says she has mixed finely chopped nuts, Splenda and butter to make a very thin bottom crust. She thinks, however, that it really doesn't need a crust.

He wants mozzarella sticks, a burger and fries with his draft. She prefers a meal with more sophistication and fewer calories. She wouldn't mind a wine-by-the-glass suggestion, either. That's the restaurant Clayton's Tavern, which opened recently in Federal Hill, wants to be; and for the most part, it succeeds. The drawing card is the fact that bar food is on the menu with new American dishes such as salmon au poivre with a splash of Grand Marnier, glazed hearts of palm and horseradish mashed potatoes.