Oops!

Foods that aren't what you think they are...

A cook friend (who refuses to be called a chef, even though she creates fabulous dishes) asked me the other day if I'd heard of Oopsie Bread or Oopsie Rolls.  Nope.  Nary a word. She suggested that I check them out.   So I fired up the netbook and started datamining the 'Net to see what I could find. 

Seems like 'back in the day' (the mid-60s day, that is), the Atkins Diet folks (Dr. Robert Atkins and his associates) discovered that folks on a low/no carb diet craved, of all things, bread.  So they set out to try and come up with a substitute.  The result was called the Atkins Diet Revolution Roll.  The original recipe contained eggs, cream of tartar, salt, a couple tablespoons of cottage cheese, and a packet of sugar substitute. 

What???

Fast forward a couple decades.  One day an enterprising dieter discovered s/he didn't have any cottage cheese or sugar substitute handy.  Oops!  But s/he did have some cream cheese.  The result was the Oopsie Roll or Oopsie bread.

Dead simple.  Quick and pretty easy to make.  Tasty (sorta).   BUT IT STILL ISN'T BREAD!  No way Jose!  Not even close.  If I were really craving bread, I'd eat a styrofoam packing peanut first, then have this as a snack.

Don't get me wrong.  They are pretty tasty in an eggy sort of way, and certainly, as advertised, no-carb. 

But to call them a bread substitute is an insult to breads everywhere!  In spite of the photos I've seen, I can't imagine trying to eat a juicy hamburger between two of these.  They'd fall apart right after the first bite. 

Here's the recipe.  Try 'em and see what you think.

Preheat oven to 300F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and lightly spray with nonstick spray.

Separate the eggs.   With an electric beater, whip the egg whites and the cream of tartar until very stiff.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the yolks, cream cheese and salt, until smooth.

Fold the egg whites into the cream cheese mixture, in batches.

Spoon 6 large mounds of the mixture onto the baking sheet.  Bake 30-40 minutes, until GB&D.

I made these with an added half teaspoon of Italian Seasoning in the batter:



Cool a couple of minutes on the cookie sheet, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in a slightly open zip top bag in the fridge for a couple of days.

They're light and airy and delicate.  And taste sorta like clafouti without any fruit.  Similar to pate choux but not sweet.  Stack a couple up and make a different kind of strawberry shortcake.  Put a couple slices of bacon between a couple for a different bacon & egg sandwich.  They could be interesting as mini muffins, split open and topped with fruit or a fruit couli -- that's what I'm going to do with the second batch.

JUST DON'T CALL THEM BREAD or ROLLS or BREAD SUBSTITUTE!!!!!!!!