Ok, Maybe It’s Not Fat Free, But It’s Definitely Full Of Flavor

To paraphrase Dorothy Parker, my feeling about fat-free food products is that the flavor runs the gamut from A to B.

Whatever fat-free food is, delicious does not come to mind. Is it any wonder that surveys show Americans are less concerned with nutrition than they used to be?

In 1995, the Food Marketing Institute reported that in the 40-to-49 age group, 56 percent of people surveyed were “very concerned” with nutrition. In 1994, the figure was 63 percent. And the numbers aren’t expected to improve when the 1996 data are released.

What is most important to people? Taste, followed by nutrition, then price. But you don’t need a survey to tell you that. If it doesn’t taste good, you’re not going to eat it for long.

Perhaps the best response is to eat naturally nutritious fruits and vegetables, and instead of ersatz foods that substitute fake ingredients for flavor, have an occasional splurge of your favorite comfort foods, complete with butter, eggs and meat.

Batter-coated cube steaks, fried in butter and served with biscuits and pan gravy, are the real thing. Don’t make it every day, but when you do, enjoy it. And serve it with steamed baby carrots, just for good measure.

Country-Fried Steak With Biscuits

Baking powder biscuits (recipe follows)

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour, divided use

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon paprika

2 (4-ounce) cube steaks

1-1/2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 to 4 tablespoons milk

Steamed baby carrots

Prepare biscuits. While they bake, prepare steaks. Beat egg and water in shallow bowl. Combine 1/2 cup flour, salt and paprika on plate. Dip each cube steak into egg mixture, then into flour mixture to thoroughly coat.

Melt butter in skillet. Add steaks and cook until browned, about 5 minutes per side. Remove and keep warm.

To fat remaining in skillet, stir in 1 tablespoon flour and combine well to form a paste. Stir in broth, scraping up browned bits in skillet, and cook over low heat to form smooth, thick gravy. Add 2 tablespoons milk and heat through. If gravy is too thick, stir in remaining 2 tablespoons milk. Return steaks to gravy just to reheat.

Place 1 biscuit and steak on each of 2 plates. Top with gravy. Serve with steamed baby carrots.

Yield: 2 servings.

Baking Powder Biscuits

1 cup flour, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons for dusting board

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

5 to 6 tablespoons milk

Sift 1 cup flour, baking powder, salt and pepper into bowl. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Stir in milk and mix to form slightly sticky ball. Knead 5 to 6 times.

Flatten dough on lightly floured board until 1/2-inch thick. Cut into 3-inch rounds. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees until golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Yield: 2 to 3 biscuits, depending on whether scraps are reworked.