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I am writing this post from an exalted plane, a level where virtuousness reigns supreme, accompanied by just the tiniest smidgen of self-satisfied smugness. I am determined to milk this (relax, it’s fat-free milk) situation for all it’s worth because virtuousness is not usually something to which I can lay claim. Even less do I aspire to it (but that’s a different story altogether).
However, do not despair, dear readers.
Note: I address those of you who, like me, do not always land on the right side of the fat-free, guilt-free, calorie-free, heart-healthy, artery-safe and 5-a-day lifestyle that every food blog, every food writer (and every government diktat) advocates. Those of you who are already converted, you may as well stop reading right here… I preach to my fellow sinners, not the already-converted-and-preaching-themselves (heheh)!
Right, to get back on track… do not despair, dear-readers-who-are-like-me. It is possible for every one of you to reach this plane.
All it takes is applesauce, in a three-step plan.
First step - Make your applesauce. (It’s got to be home-made to reach that highest plane. Sure you can use store-bought applesauce, but the virtue level won’t be as high). So.
Second step – Use the applesauce in a cake. For preference, the banana cake that I made for a friend (recipe below). Sure you can make your own cake following some other recipe, but the virtue level won’t be as high. Note: This is MY recipe for illustriousness, so what I say is Gospel. Or Shyamusmriti, for the Hindu-minded. (Sorry, Manu, this is my show.)
Third step – Cool, cut and eat.
That’s all.
To recap: Make applesauce. Make cake with applesauce. Cool. Cut. Eat. Attain afore-mentioned exalted level.
Recipe for: Fat-free applesauce banana cake
Ingredients:
2 ripe bananas
1 tbsp oil
3/4 cup sugar
1-1/4 cups applesauce
1-1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 cups nuts of choice, coarsely chopped (I used walnuts) - optional
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 375F/180C. Spray 6" round baking tin (or bundt pan) with Pam.
2. In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until it's mushy. Add the oil, applesauce sugar, cardamom and cinnamon and mix together.
3. In a separate large bowl, sift together the flour baking powder and baking soda.
4. Add the banana mixture to the flour and fold in gently until just mixed. Do not beat. Stir in the chopped nuts if using.
5. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan
and bake till done and a cake tester comes out clean.
6. Let cool in the pan 5 minutes, then remove and cool completely. Ice lightly if preferred with a simple mixture of icing sugar mixed with milk or cream and a bit of vanilla extract to a thick but pouring consistency.
Note: To make applesauce, chop up two large cooking apples and pressure-cook them for three whistles. Run the cooled cooked apples in a blender to make smooth applesauce.
In religious terms, I was an agnostic. Not only did I not believe in the existence of the perfect tasty non-fried non-fat potato crisp, I even (privately) questioned the veracity of those who waxed lyrical about the properties of that mythical snack.
But before you blame me for my cynicism, stop a moment and think - does it seem possible that the potato could make a tasty crisp without the use of hot oil in which to fry it?
Crisp, chip, wafer - whatever. Take your pick, depending on which part of the world you are from. A chip by any other name is a wafer, or indeed even a crisp. The name doesnt matter. (But the matter does.) Does it matter if you address the One Great Entity In The Sky as Allah, Ram or Jesus? No, as long as you believe in the Entity, the name is merely that - a name. It doesnt change the basic spirit of the matter.
Anyway. Set aside, just for a few moments, the principles of healthy cooking/eating/living which govern our day-to-day lives, and think about this: NOTHING beats the taste of savoury (and some sweet) goodies that have been deep fried - samosa, bajji, papad, pakoda, kachori etc. Yes, we bake some of these in the oven and pretend that they're "just as tasty" but really you know they're not. It's just a compromise on taste made in the interests of fat-free healthy cooking.
That, in short, was my attitude. I was convinced that the phrase "fat-free" automatically meant "taste-free" - or at the very least, diminished taste.
But wait! Dont despair at my attitude, dont turn away from me (and certainly puhleeese dont shun my blog!!!!). Because I have Seen The Light! I believe in that holiest of holies - the grail of foodies - that Mecca of gourmands - the very Nirvana for potato crisp fans.... yes, I BELIEVE in the oil-free potato crisp! The TASTY oil-free, any-kind-of-fat-free potato crisp!
(Yes, chip, wafer, whatever... go back to the start for a re-run).
(Evidently I also believe in dissing all religions equally, but please forgive me this once. It's just too revelationary a moment for me!)
And after all that, in simple words - I believe that you CAN make perfectly tasty potato crisps in the microwave. Granted, they wont last well, not even overnight, to be honest. But when you eat them fresh... ahhh! They wont last even 10 minutes, if you're anything like me and my family.
The downside to these heavenly crisps is that if you have a small microwave oven, it will take absolutely AGES to accumulate enough crisps to serve even two people - especially if you keep eating them as quickly as they come out of the microwave!
But this is only a little obstacle in the Path to the Perfect Potato Crisp. Take it from the newly converted.
Recipe for: Fat-free microwave potato crisps
Ingredients:
3-4 small potatoes (I used Jersey Gold), sliced very thin (I used a peeler, actually!)
Pam spray (original will do)
A flat microwave-safe dish
A microwave oven
Salt and other condiments/spices/herbs to taste
Method:
1. Spray the dish lightly and evenly with Pam.
2. Lay the thinly sliced potatoes on it in a single layer, making maximum use of the space available.
3. Sprinkle on salt and whatever spices/herbs you like.
4. Microwave for 3 minutes at first, check to see the done-ness of the crisps, then microwave again (a bit of experimentation required here, but usually another 2 minutes will do) till they are crisp and golden.
Once you find out the time required for optimum crispness and done-ness, you can straightaway put in the correct time. Mine took 5 minutes per batch.
