Wait a minute, let's get this straight. Butter consumption is on the rise? People are eating more cheese, eggs and bacon, those cholesterol-laden culprits?
Yes. Tired of denial or maybe just tired of pretending, Americans are beginning to turn a deaf ear to all the doom and gloom that has been piled on their plates. Many of the foods that we have been told to regard as sinful, wrong and just plain bad are finding their way back onto the table. This time, when they show up, they bask in all their glory, without the weight of guilt or apology.
Call it a backlash.
It's not an all-out war against the gains of nutrition education. Rather, we're hammering out a truce so that intelligent eating can exist within a framework of pleasure.
We're buttering bread. Serving steaks with a thin rim of fat on them. Scooping out ultra-rich ice creams and plopping them on pies and cakes. Frying bacon and eggs for breakfast and feeling smug about it all.
They've never really been gone, you say? That could be. Denial never has been an effective means of behavior modification, particularly when it comes to food.
Trend-spotter Faith Popcorn, president of BrainReserve, has coined various feel-good phrases that embrace a backlash: the pleasure revenge, small indulgences, the I-deserve-it syndrome. Writing in her book, "The Popcorn Report," she Paradoxically, there also is a strong sense that food kills us. Food has become both the cure and the curse, setting it afloat in a sea of conflicting behaviors.
Health reports and studies, many of them making food and dietary habits the nails in early coffins, assail us. Some of these issues have been magnified or reported prematurely or out of context, according to nutrition consultant Mary Abbott Hess, president of Hess & Hunt Nutrition Communications in Winnetka, Ill. The result can be despair.
'I can't cope'
"People keep hearing that foods are bad for them. Whatever they do is bad," says Ms. Hess, a former president of the American Dietetic Association. "They end up saying, 'I can't cope,' and just give up any attempt. They don't even allow themselves credit for the positive changes they've made. This can lead to bad choices."
Obsession with health and the notion that perhaps just one behavior or one food may save our lives has led to what Julia Child calls "fear of food." This ultimately contradicts the need for food, both biological and social.
"Denial is not a natural thing for humans, especially when it comes to food," says Harry Balzer, vice president of the NPD Group, an Illinois market research firm. What is natural, apparently, is people's ability to make a little virtue go a long way:
"Ninety-three percent of people report eating some low-fat products in their diets. They think this covers them, that they've taken care of the need to eat healthfully," Mr. Balzer says. "But really, only 15 to 16 percent of foods sold are positioned as low-fat. How important are they to the total amount of food people eat? That leaves 85 percent of foods that aren't positioned as low-fat."
He says the consumption of fatty and caloric foods such as bacon and hamburgers is on the rise, but cautions that it may not be a backlash to dietary restraint.
Americans are far more likely to base their food choices on cost and taste rather than health issues, Mr. Balzer says. It follows, then, that when the cost of butter, eggs, beef and bacon is down, consumption increases. "The thing that gets people to change behavior is to change the price, Mr. Balzer says. "Right now, butter is in a favorable position."
Butter looks better and better
Butter appeared to be one of the earliest casualties of the war on fat. Packed with cholesterol, it was easily replaced by margarine, the substitute that had everything but the cholesterol. Margarine's golden reputation has been tarnished by a report that the trans fatty acids in margarine might increase people's risk of heart disease. Suddenly, butter didn't look quite as bad, and its price is low.
"Butter had a major rebound in 1993," reports Martin Veeger, a research associate for the International Dairy Association. Consumption rose from 3.7 pounds per person in 1992 to 4 pounds in 1993.
Ms. Hess, a dietitian, is not one to tell people that butter -- or almost any food, for that matter -- is bad for them. She accepts a little rebellion, but only as part of a whole diet, not as a lifestyle. She admits to eating a small amount of chocolate each day.
"People have tended to get total messages that meat or butter is bad for them," Ms. Hess says. "But there can be trade-offs so anyone can eat whatever they want. If brie cheese is your favorite food, have it and enjoy it. Make your changes elsewhere."
There has been an irrevocable change in how America eats. Lard and 16-ounce steaks probably never will become staples again. A comparison of older and newer cookbooks shows that a lot of excess has been pared away.
The American Institute of Wine and Food, a national group dedicated to the pleasures of the table, acknowledges that a backlash looms. Whether it is a good thing or bad depends on how it plays out.
"Backlash certainly is a topic that people are talking about," says Valerie Lemke, an institute representative. "If it ultimately allows people to make quality decisions eating the foods they like, then it's a positive thing."
First it must taste good
The institute is nearing completion of a 4-year project called Resetting the American Table: Creating a New Alliance of Taste and Health. The group hopes to find a peaceful middle ground where food that tastes good coexists with the tenets of good health.
Sanford D'Amato, chef/owner of Sanford's Restaurant in Milwaukee and a member of the project's taste panel, says chefs need to understand that there are many ways to prepare foods to make them taste good.
"Butter and cream mask the taste of the product," Mr. D'Amato says. "Foods taste truer with a lighter treatment. It also opens up a lot of other, more interesting possibilities. Fifteen years ago, 90 percent of my menu had dishes with cream or beurre blanc. But you don't need to resort to them for food to taste good."
The flip side, he says, is that nutritionists have to understand that people won't eat food if it doesn't taste good. One strategy is to teach people to balance their diet over several days, not food by food or meal by meal.
Which is the point Joannie Kane has reached.
"A great roast every now and then. A gob of butter on some bread. These things aren't the new staples in my house and certainly haven't replaced a lot of the so-called healthier foods. But I admit it -- I feel like it's better to eat these things once in a while and enjoy the whole ritual of it rather than slapping my hands every time I want to eat something good."
Food that feeds both body and soul makes the best meals. In the spirit of backlash, here are some updated versions of favorite recipes.
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This recipe is adapted from "Gourmet's America" by the editors of Gourmet magazine (Random House, $25).
Macaroni and Cheese With Peppers
Serves 8 to 10
1 large onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded, chopped
1/4 cup ( 1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon each: ground coriander seed, salt
1 pound elbow macaroni
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, chopped
3/4 pound Monterey Jack cheese with hot peppers, coarsely grated
salt, freshly ground pepper to taste
TOPPING:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups fine, fresh bread crumbs
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
chopped fresh cilantro
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter a large, shallow baking dish (at least 4 quarts).
Cook the onion and bell pepper in the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat, stirring, until they are softened. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, 3 minutes. Stir in the milk; heat the mixture to a boil, stirring, and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in cumin, coriander seed and 1/2 teaspoon salt; remove from heat.
Cook macaroni in a kettle of boiling salted water until it is al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain well and transfer to a large bowl. Add the sauce, tomatoes, Monterey Jack and salt and pepper to taste; mix well. Transfer the macaroni mixture to the prepared baking dish and smooth the top.
For the topping, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add bread crumbs, cornmeal and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring, until the mixture is golden. Stir in cilantro.
Sprinkle the topping over macaroni mixture. Bake the macaroni and cheese until hot, bubbly and slightly browned at the edges, about 1 hour.
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This Sunday supper classic is adapted from "The Silver Palate Cookbook."
Pot Roast
Serves 6
zTC 1 beef shoulder roast, about 3 1/2 pounds, rolled and tied
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or more
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 to 2 cups beef stock or broth
2 cups dry red wine
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
7 whole cloves
5 small carrots, peeled, cut in 1-inch chunks
8 red potatoes, scrubbed, quartered
1 can (16 ounces) plum tomatoes
1 cup diced fresh fennel or celery
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Rub roast with pepper.
Heat oil in a flameproof Dutch oven over high heat. Add roast and sear on all sides. Stir in onions and cook 1 minute. Add 1 1/2 cups stock or broth, wine, parsley, rosemary, salt and cloves. Heat to a boil. Add remaining ingredients. Add additional stock or broth if vegetables aren't covered with liquid.
Cover casserole and transfer to oven. Bake 2 1/2 hours. Uncover and cook until meat is tender, 1 1/2 hours longer, basting meat often.
Transfer roast to a serving platter and arrange vegetables around it. Spoon some of the sauce over and pass the remaining sauce separately.
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Here's a chocolate-lover's version of an American classic adapted from another classic "The Time-Life American Regional Cookbook." The chocolate buttercream is optional.
German Chocolate Cake
With Two Frostings
Makes 16 to 20 servings
CAKE LAYERS:
1/2 cup water
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 1/2 cups cake flour, sifted before measuring
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, separated
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
COCONUT CREAM FROSTING:
4 egg yolks
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely grated
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 4-ounce can flaked coconut (1 1/3 cups)
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM:
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 to 4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter and flour the bottoms and sides of three 9-inch round layer-cake pans. Tap out excess flour.
For the cake layers, heat the water to a boil in a small saucepan; add chopped chocolate. Stir constantly until chocolate is melted and smooth. Cool to room temperature. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt.
Beat butter and 1 cup of the sugar in a large bowl of electric mixer until light and creamy. Beat in the 4 egg yolks, one at a time. Beat in 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla. Beat in the cooled chocolate in a slow, thin stream and continue to beat until the batter is smooth. Add about 1/2 cup of the cake flour mixture and when it is well incorporated, beat in 1/4 cup of the buttermilk. Repeat to alternately use up the flour mixture and buttermilk to make a smooth batter.
Beat the egg whites and remaining 3/4 cup sugar in small bowl of electric mixer until soft peaks form. Fold egg whites into chocolate batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pans, dividing it equally among them and smoothing the tops with a spatula. Bake in the middle of the oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pans 5 minutes, then turn them out onto wire racks to cool completely.
Meanwhile, for the coconut-nut frosting, beat the egg yolks and 1 cup sugar together in a heavy 2- to 3-quart saucepan for 1 or 2 minutes. When the mixture is smooth and light, whisk in the evaporated milk.
Add the softened butter and grated chocolate and set the pan over low heat. Stirring constantly with a large metal spoon, cook the mixture until it is smooth and thick enough to cling lightly to the spoon, 5 to 10 minutes. Do not let the mixture come anywhere near the boil or the egg yolks will curdle. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in vanilla, coconut and pecans. Refrigerate, stirring often, until frosting holds its shape almost solidly in the spoon, 1 hour or more.
To assemble, put one cake layer upside-down onto a serving platter. Frost with 1/3 of the coconut-nut frosting. Top with another cake layer and another 1/3 of the frosting. Top with the final cake layer and remaining frosting. Refrigerate to firm.
For chocolate buttercream, melt chocolate and butter together in top of a double boiler set over simmering water or in a glass bowl in the microwave oven on medium (50 percent) power. Cool. Beat in milk, vanilla and enough confectioners' sugar to make a smooth spreadable frosting. Use to frost sides of cake and to pipe decorations around top and bottom edge of cake. Refrigerate 15 minutes or longer before serving.