Aug. 6--As Duncanville's Karel Anne Tieszen, a longtime cooking teacher, set out to write her first book, she wanted it to be "absolutely real in its nutrition information. ... If you know the reality of what the calorie count is going to be, you know how to accommodate it into your day," she says.
"To me, that's reality. We make trades so that we can have what we really want."
That philosophy led to In Your Own Kitchen: Reality Cooking at Home , which came out in April. The book is available through Amazon.com (although it's currently sold out), and Ms. Tieszen's Web site, Kitchen-friends.com.
Each of the more than 150 recipes includes a color photo and information about calories, grams of fat (and the percentage of calories from fat), protein, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, cholesterol and sodium.
Ms. Tieszen gathered the recipes, she says, after noting students' favorites during nearly a decade of teaching.
In addition to the recipes, she includes quips from her culinary travels and teaching-learning experiences, as well as quotes that relate to food and cooking. One, from Recipe for Morality by Joseph Conrad, goes like this:
"The purpose of a cookery book is one and unmistakable. Its object can conceivably be no other than to increase the happiness of mankind."
With recipes such as Polynesian pork steaks and salmon with Texas red and peppercorn pink, Ms. Tieszen's book fulfills that promise.
TOPPLE OVER PEACH FRENCH TOAST
In a medium saucepan, melt butter. Stir in the brown sugar and juice from the peaches. Simmer until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Pour into a greased 13x9-inch baking dish.
Place peaches in one layer over the sauce.
Tightly place the bread slices over the peaches, filling all gaps.
Beat the eggs in a medium bowl. Add milk and vanilla. Whisk briefly until a frothy foam appears. Pour over the bread, moistening each piece. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning, preheat the oven to 350 F. Remove plastic wrap and bake for 40 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for up to 10 minutes. Place serving tray over the pan and invert. Serve warm. Makes 12 servings.
Note: During a Texas summer, Ms. Tieszen recommends substituting "those beautiful ripe Texas peaches." Use 2 pounds fresh peeled peaches, adding 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup hot water to make "juice."
PER SERVING: Calories 334 (33% fat) Fat 13 g Cholesterol 131 mg Sodium 245 mg Fiber 4 g Carbohydrates 49 g Protein 8 g
SOURCE: In Your Own Kitchen To see more of The Dallas Morning News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.dallasnews.com. Copyright (c) 2008, The Dallas Morning News Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
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