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Briefs: How sweet is it?

Coca-Cola is going to mess with the Diet Coke formula. Sort of.

A new version of Diet Coke will be sweetened with Splenda, which the company hopes will draw buyers who don't like aspartame. The aspartame-sweetened Diet Coke will remain on the market. The company apparently learned its lesson from the New Coke vs. Classic Coke fiasco of the mid 1980s.

Pepsi is also formulating a diet version with Splenda.

The fight may eventually be, not over soda, but the sweetener.

The makers of Splenda claim the sweetener is natural and made from sugar. The Center for Science in the Public Interest begs to differ. Splenda, also called sucralose, contains chlorine and is manufactured in a chemical plant, it says.

The Food and Drug Administration may weigh in at some point. Until then, we'll have lots of sweet choices in diet sodas.

Two years after McDonald's set a deadline for reducing trans fats, the french fry has thus far snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. McDonald's announced with fanfare that the trans fats in its cooking oil would be cut almost in half by February 2003. Today, however, an order of fries remains as trans-laden as ever, leaving consumer advocates with supersized disbelief. Despite the best intentions, McDonald's found that an oil change wasn't so easy.

One of the main problems was that the oil formulated in 2002 appeared to alter the taste of McDonald's fries. The popular fries are a company hallmark, with a taste and crispness on an almost sacred plane.

Saxton Freymann, a New York illustrator who has found a niche making food look adorable in illustrations for children's books, has a new book, Food for Thought (Scholastic, $14.95).

In this latest work, oranges, peppers, mushrooms, bananas and other produce are assembled to help teach children shapes, colors, numbers, letters and opposites.

Kids will love the bright colors and grownups may never look at a pineapple the same way again.

Fancy chefs are hip to seasonal changes in tastes and ingredients. Cracker Barrel says it can be, too. The chain's winter menu includes a pot roast, chili and pecan pancakes, plus Boylan's Creme Soda, which should be welcome any time, and a double-chocolate fudge cake made with Co'Cola, which should be limited to once in a lifetime.

Winter is easy for a place that already specializes in down-home creamy comforts; the test is whether CB can go light for spring or summer. One clue: www.crackerbarrel.com is now polling about a potential entree, lasagna.

Can seared tuna and tiramisu be far behind?

The look and texture of quick breads or pound cake is affected by the pan it is baked in. When baked in a glass pan, the bottom and sides of these cakes will overcook. Shiny dark metal pans also crisp the edges too much. For the best result, choose an old-fashioned, dull-finished heavy duty aluminum pan.

"Never apologize, never explain. When you have guests over for dinner, don't tell them what you did wrong - they are there to have a good time. Pretend it is the best meal you ever made." - From Sara Moulton in Chef's Secrets: Insider Techniques From Today's Culinary Masters (Quirk, $16.95)

It's official. The stars dress better than us and now we know they eat better. (When they eat at all.) Some of the tempting treats on the menu of the Governors Ball after the Academy Awards on Feb. 27 include:

* A passed hors d'oeuvres selections of chef Wolfgang Puck's signature smoked salmon pizza with caviar, roasted new potatoes with caviar and creme fraiche, Kobe beef burgers with Gorgonzola and caramelized onion, mini Vietnamese spring rolls, and samosas with tamarind glaze.

* Each entree plate will feature slow-braised Kobe beef short ribs atop a kabocha squash puree and Maine lobster wrapped in puff pastry marked with a 77 for the 77th year of the Oscars with black truffles from France, a lobster sauce and a sprinkling of truffle oil.

[Last modified February 15, 2005, 11:39:04]