Getting sweet-smart with Splenda

It’s hard to admit but a lot of us are sugar addicts. How often have you, without a second thought, grabbed a candy bar or a doughnut for instant comfort, or turned the other cheek and went for that second slice of tiramisu, convincing yourself that it’s nothing you can’t burn when you hit the treadmill for two hours the following day? Well, reality bites. I’ve learned that even among healthy people, whatever sugar one consumes, 40 percent of it gets converted and stored as fat almost instantly. In plain speak, excessive indulgence of sugar will cause one to become obese and susceptible to various diseases.

What to do? Deprivation is certainly not the answer. I will neither settle for poached apple or apple puree when what I really crave for is warm apple pie with whipped cream, nor will I take fresh fruit over crème brulée. As a kid, I know what it’s like to want ice cream and not have it. And for the homemaker, consider the hassle of making separate meals for oneself and the rest of the family. Life is too short to go down this route. It is time-consuming. Just to think of what to serve certainly doubles one’s time in the kitchen. Aren’t there recipes which the whole family can enjoy together?

The answer? Something so sweet it’s just too good to be true – Splenda, the only low- calorie sweetener that is made from sugar, tastes like sugar, and can be used virtually anywhere where sugar is used, including cooking and baking. Its main sweetening ingredient, sucralose, is a substance found to be safe for everyone, including those with diabetes. The USFDA gives its stamp of approval to this alternative sweetener that provides a great sugar-like taste without any calories. Unlike sugar, sucralose cannot be broken down and utilized as energy in the body. Today, there are thousands of products that are sweetened with Splenda, from jam to yogurt and pancake syrup, from soft drinks to cookies.

I have been swamped with requests and inquiries as to whether I would be offering baking classes using this revolutionary low- calorie sweetener. With the rise of South Beach dieters, low-carb counters are growing bigger in number. There is some real excitement concerning Splenda. People instinctively feel that it is indeed different from other sweeteners.

Well, over a few months ago, the San Francisco Chronicle, a major daily in the US, tasked their food section to put Splenda to a test that will assess its performance in terms of taste and texture. In order to gather results, a high powered trio of chefs from the Bay Area prepared three batches of various desserts, one made with sugar, another with Splenda, and a blend of the two.

In the brownies department, the batch baked with sugar produced a rich square with a moist-looking top. They tasted rich and fudgy. The Splenda-sugar blend rose less and unevenly, had a rubbery feel, and was dry. The batch whipped up solely with Splenda was quite a disaster. In terms of texture, the finished products turned out dry and hard. One chef wryly commented that it could be used as a floor tile. Still it had a sweet aftertaste.

The chefs also had problems with non-baked desserts, like vanilla ice cream and crème brulée. Splenda left the ice cream so hard it broke into shards when scooped, while it made a custard that looked like airline scrambled eggs. The Splenda-sugar blend vastly improved the texture of both, which turned out to be smoother and creamier than the former.

Taste was also an issue with the desserts made with both Splenda and the blend. Splenda’s sweetness took a few moments to come on, then it was very concentrated on the tip of the tongue. The sweetness also seemed to block the flavors, say the San Francisco chefs. The egg yolks, cream, and vanilla in the ice cream and the crème brulée simply disappeared.

Their verdict: Splenda just doesn’t perform as well and does not have the taste or texture of sugar. They concluded that sugar provides more sweetness and also adds moisture and bulk, while Splenda fails to do so. Purists by philosophy, the chefs concluded that the pleasure delivered as a trade-off by the much hailed Splenda isn’t worth it. They say it’s like having four bad glasses of wine rather than having a great glass of wine. None of the dishes met their standards.

Still, for the hordes of calorie-conscious people and diabetics with a sweet tooth, Splenda is considered a godsend. And when compared to other alternative sweeteners (other popular brands sweetened with aspartame, xylitol, saccharin, and sorbitol) Splenda still comes out the best. The others are too sweet, taste of chemical or have a bitter and strong aftertaste.

The cooking test concludes that, in general, Splenda works best when used to sweeten sauces, pies, fillings, marinades, and beverages. In recipes where sugar adds bulk, texture, moisture and browning, adjustments have to be made. To ensure you come up with desserts that are close to the real thing, I have taken the liberty of sharing with you a few tips I’ve downloaded from their website when using the miracle sweetener as a substitute to your recipes.

• Best results are achieved when Splenda is mixed with dry ingredients. Do not cream with butter or other fats.

• Splenda can be directly substituted for sugar if the recipe calls for up to 1-1/2 cups sugar. If it calls for more and double the amount of flour, than Splenda can be directly substituted in the recipe. If it calls for less than double the amount of flour, then use equal parts of Splenda and sugar. This indicates that the sugar is now giving baked volume.

• Baking time will be shorter (five to 10 minutes). Test for doneness by inserting a wooden skewer in the center of the dessert. Some recipes may not brown as usual, so do not bake until golden brown or recipe may become overcooked.

• Cookies may not spread as they bake. Therefore, flatten cookies to desired thickness before baking. A few tablespoons of water may be added if dough feels too dry.

• Splenda can be substituted for white sugar or icing sugar only. Unfortunately, it is not recommended to replace brown sugar, honey or molasses.

Here is a recipe that I have tried and tested that works well with Splenda.

Heny Sison’s Coconut Cream Pie

For the crust:

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/2 Tbsps. Splenda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup margarine, chilled and cut into cubes
1/3 cup cold water
1 medium egg, separated
pinch of salt
For the coconut filling:
4 cups young coconut
2 cups coconut juice
1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup Splenda
1/3 cup condensed milk
3/4 cup cornstarch
For the custard:
1/3 cup Splenda
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup fresh milk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
pinch of Ferna vanilla powder
For the meringue:
4 large egg whites
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 cup Splenda

For the crust:

Put flour, Splenda and salt in the bowl of the food processor. Pulse to combine.

Add margarine and process until crumbly. Combine egg yolks and cold water and gradually pour into the feeding tube of the food processor. Process until the dough holds together. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes before rolling out.

After resting in the refrigerator, roll out the dough to about two inches wider than the diameter of a pie plate. Chill again for a minimum of 15 minutes. Prick with a fork all over to prevent crust from puffing while baking.

Bake blind at 400°F for 15 minutes then remove the pie weights. Lower temperature to 375°F and continue to bake the crust for 15 to 17 minutes. Remove the baked crust in the oven, then brush with slightly beaten egg whites to prevent the filling from leaking. Put the pie shell back in the hot oven for two minutes. Remove the pie shell from the oven and put it on a wire rack to cool.

For the coconut filling:

Combine coconut, one cup coconut juice, evaporated milk, condensed milk, and Splenda in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat for about eight minutes. Dissolve cornstarch in the remaining one cup coconut juice. When the mixture begins to boil, add the dissolved cornstarch mixture and quickly stir for five minutes. Set aside.

For the custard:

In a saucepan, combine sugar, flour, salt, vanilla powder, and fresh milk. Cook over low heat until mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat then add half of the milk mixture onto slightly beaten eggs. Mix until smooth and return to the rest of the mixture. Cook until creamy. Set aside.

For the meringue:

Prepare the meringue after you have finished assembling the pie. This should be done last.

In the bowl of the mixer, beat all ingredients until thick, glossy though not dry. Transfer in a piping bag with big star piping tube attached to it. Pipe on top of the pie. Using a blowtorch, briefly brown the meringue. Refrigerate until ready to serve. To assemble:

Spread the custard filling on top of the baked pie shell.

Spoon the coconut filling on top of the custard filling. Smoothen using a small offset spatula.

Top with the meringue.

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My conclusion, and this is my own, mind you, never feel deprived. Life is too short. Have your dessert!

Desserts make life sweet. But as with everything else, be sweet-smart and take everything in moderation. And believe me, your next dessert outing will be worth the wait.

Due to positive feedback I received when I featured Ocampo’s Sweets in this column sometime back, I have invited the whole family to share and demonstrate more of their best-selling recipes, like kesong puti, pastillas de leche, yema pastillas, and ube pastillas, in my weekly cooking show, A Taste of Life, airing over IBC Channel 13 this Sunday at 11 a.m.

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E-mail the author at henysison@pacific.net.ph.