NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665
March 16, 2000
Many people try to define synergy in a formulaic way, such as 4 + 4 = 10 for example. That definition works, I suppose, but I prefer to understand the concept of synergy through food.
Take one perfectly grilled steak (medium rare), add a tablespoon or two of horseradish and a glass of room-temperature burgundy, dry and complex. Cut a piece off the steak, fork a bit of the horseradish on top of the meat, place this combination into your mouth and begin chewing slowly, savoring every bite. After only a moment, take a sip of the burgundy. You've just experienced synergy.
Cheddar cheese and apple pie. Garlic and lemon. Thick, chewy French toast, handpicked strawberries and freshly whipped cream laced with hints of almond and vanilla extracts. Bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches on sourdough toast with extra mayonnaise. Cheeseburgers with raw onions. French fries with malt vinegar. Grilled chicken breasts and mustard-based barbecue sauce. There are a few of my favorite synergistic things.
And here's another: chocolate and sauerkraut. The recipe that follows is one my wife Nicki got from a friend. The cake is equally delicious regardless of the frosting adorning it, but my favorite version--of the several I've tried--is with the coconut-pecan decadence most often associated with German chocolate cake.
Sauerkraut Chocolate Cake
Yield: 12 servingsIngredients:
2/3 cup sauerkraut, firmly packed
2¼ cups sifted all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2/3 cup unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups granulated white sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup strong coffee (room temperature)Procedure:
Butter two 9-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with waxed paper (cut to fit), butter the exposed side of the paper and then dust the inside of the pans with fine, dry, unseasoned bread crumbs. Tap out excess crumbs. Place the kraut in a bowl and cover with cold water. Drain the kraut and squeeze to remove most, but not all, of the liquid. Finely chop the kraut and set aside. Sift together in a bowl the flour, salt, baking powder, soda and cocoa. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until soft and then beat in the vanilla, sugar and eggs, one egg at a time. Add one-third of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and blend. Add one-half of the coffee and blend again. Follow this alternating method until all the dry ingredients and coffee are incorporated and the batter is smooth. Stir in the kraut. Place half the batter in each pan and smooth. Bake at 350 F about 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean. Remove cakes from the oven and allow to cool slightly before inverting pans and removing cakes. Place cakes on wire racks, remove wax paper from cake bottoms and let cool with flat sides up. Frost with your favorite icing recipe.
What's Your Take on This, Julie?
The chocolate-sugar combination is an old example of synergy. Chocolate without sugar is bitter, but chocolate with sugar--divine--at least to most palates.
Just how divine is chocolate to American palates today? We eat about 10 pounds of chocolate per person per year, but we're not nearly the "chocoholics" that the Swiss are. They eat about 22 pounds of chocolate per person per year.
The healthiness of chocolate was questioned in the past because the fat it contains is primarily saturated, and saturated fat intake has been linked to heart disease. But not all types of saturated fat behave the same. Fat is made of fatty acids, and cocoa butter contains these fatty acids: stearic, palmitic and oleic. Oleic acid, a type of monounsaturated fatty acid also found in olive oil, has been shown to have positive effects on heart disease risk. Stearic acid is a saturated fatty acid, but it doesn't behave the way other saturated fats domeaning, it doesn't affect heart-health risk at all.
Much to the glee of the American public, recent research is showing that chocolate may have some positive health effects. Not only does chocolate contain the minerals copper, magnesium, iron and zinc, it also contains compounds called "polyphenols" similar to those found in red wine. Polyphenols appear to promote heart health because they act as antioxidants, decreasing the oxidation of LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) in our blood. High LDL levels have been linked to increased risk of heart disease.
In one study, which probably had plenty of eager volunteers, Penn State researchers monitored two groups comprising 18 healthy men. For each of 26 days, the men ate either 1.65 ounces of chocolate or 10 ounces of chocolate (along with other foods). After another month of study during which the 18 men returned to their normal diets, the researchers concluded that the higher-chocolate diet did not raise total or LDL cholesterol levels.
Which chocolate is the best source of antioxidants? One researcher tested cocoa powder, baking chocolate and milk chocolate candy bars for antioxidant properties. Cocoa came out on top, followed by baking chocolate and milk chocolate. Another researcher reported that milk chocolate had an even higher concentration of antioxidants than red wine or certain teas.
Does this mean passing up broccoli for an extra candy bar? While the research is promising, we don't have all the answers. And remember, chocolate bars (and cakes) usually contain a lot of sugar and fat--items we should limit in our diets as treats. Yes, chocolate can fit in a healthy diet but be sure it doesn't edge out the variety of foods that we all need.
If you've tried adding zucchini to chocolate cake, this week's recipe is another spin on that theme. A serving of Sauerkraut Chocolate Cake--without frosting--contains about 300 calories and 12 grams of fat, so moderation is still the advice. To keep calories in check, you might dust the top with powdered sugar instead of frosting the cake.
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Sources: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136
Julie Garden-Robinson (701) 231-7187
Click here for a pdf version of this graphic. (33KB b&w recipe graphic)