Goodies Without The Guilt

'Tis the season to eat, drink—and gain weight? Not necessarily. True, a measly tablespoon of cream contains 52 calories and six grams of fat. But it is possible to bake some low-cal, low-fat desserts. Even dietitians say it's OK not to be puritanical, though. Don't mess with grandma's recipe if it's filled with special meaning, and don't do anything drastic, says registered dietitian Bethany Thayer. "You don't have to make every possible change you can possibly make to a recipe. You don't have to change everything to whole wheat flour and use only egg whites." Cut back on the marshmallows and sweet potatoes in that sweet-potato recipe. But don't eliminate them. "There'd be anarchy in the family," says Thayer. "Evaluate on a case-by-case basis." Think baby steps, too: the National Dairy Council suggests substituting yogurt for some of that sour cream. To get more tips on low-cal, low-fat holiday baking, NEWSWEEK's Karen Springen talked to dessert expert Jenny McCoy, who has been a pastry chef at places like Charlie Trotter's and Bittersweet Bakery in Chicago and at Emeril's in New Orleans. Excerpts:

NEWSWEEK: What's your favorite Thanksgiving dessert?
Jenny McCoy: Definitely pumpkin pie.

Do you make a full-fat version of it?
I make it from scratch with whole eggs, heavy cream, milk. I take fresh pumpkin and roast it myself. The pie dough I use is all butter. I like to go all the way. It's the one time of year where I completely lose all inhibitions.

What would happen to it if you substituted, say, Egg Beaters in your pumpkin pie?
If it's an egg product that can substitute for a whole egg, you could do it. You couldn't substitute something that calls for a whole egg with an egg white. The yolk is the part of the egg that's going to coagulate and hold all the custard ingredients together. When you think about it, you're only using a handful of eggs. Mine uses three eggs. If you cut that in eight pieces, it's not much. You think, "Wow, this has half a pound of butter and a cup of cream," but you're not eating the whole pie. You could maybe substitute half the amount of heavy cream and half whole milk. Your pie is not going to be as thick and rich of a texture, but it should still work. If you don't want to use straight white sugar, you could substitute a portion of it, maybe a quarter of it, with maple sugar or honey. But you would have to increase your amount of eggs because your egg is the ingredient that binds all those liquid and dry ingredients together.

We all go to the grocery and see nonfat everything. What about nonfat sour cream?
It's a matter of preference. If you're really concerned about the fat content in the things you're eating, and you have a recipe that calls for regular sour cream, you can go ahead and use the low-fat sour cream or skim milk. But usually because there is less fat, whatever you're making is going to have a less rich texture. The custard should still come together, but it might feel not as thick and creamy as a crème brûlée—maybe more like a flan. Flan tends to have more milk in it. It's still going to taste delicious, and the recipe will work, but it won't be as rich. If the focal point in the dessert is heavy cream, that's when you'll notice a difference.

What about substituting margarine for butter?
That will definitely work. Again, there may be a slight textural change. Perhaps in a pie crust, it might not be as rich tasting or as flaky, but it will still work.

Should home bakers think about the trans fats in margarine—and just go with the butter?
The more manipulated a product is from its original state, the chances are it's going to be unhealthier. Butter is cream that's churned. There's not a whole lot of steps in the process. They milk the cow, they pasteurize the cream. At the end of the day, butter probably is healthier because it's a real ingredient—and it tastes better.

What about nonfat cream cheese?
They've made it so the texture of it is very similar to regular cream cheese. If you were making a carrot cake, and it had cream cheese frosting, and you wanted to feel a little bit better, go ahead and use it.