Q. I've seen you take on quite a few challenging dishes over the years but I've never seen you lighten a cream puff. Is this possible?

A. I'm up for the cream puff makeover challenge! I used a less-fat margarine (8 grams fat per tablespoon) instead of butter and substituted whole-wheat flour for half of the white flour called for. In order to have the signature cream puff texture I had to use all the eggs in the original recipe but I switched to higher omega-3 eggs. And for a more uniform-shaped cream puff, I baked the dough balls using a muffin pan. I even tried making these with a light margarine with plant sterols added (5 grams fat per tablespoon) and that worked out too.

These cream puffs worked well as a shell for pesto chicken salad and ice cream and fresh fruit, and with 85 percent less saturated fat, half the total fat, and 33 percent fewer calories and cholesterol than the original recipe.

Original recipe contains 80 calories, 6 grams fat, 3.3 grams saturated fat, 66 mg cholesterol, and .2 grams of fiber per puff.

WHEAT CREAM PUFFS

• 1/4 cup less-fat margarine (with about 8 grams of fat per tablespoon and no trans fat) or a light margarine (with 5 grams of fat per tablespoon)

• 1/16 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour

• 1/4 cup unbleached white flour

• 2 large eggs, higher omega-3 if available

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Coat the inside of 10 muffin cups with canola cooking spray.

In medium, nonstick saucepan, combine margarine, 1/2 cup water and salt and bring to a boil over high heat, stir with wooden spoon so butter will melt quickly. Reduce heat to medium and stir in the flours. Continue to stir and cook mixture until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a ball (about 30 seconds). Remove saucepan from the heat and let it cool for 1 minute. While dough is cooling, place eggs in a small bowl and beat them lightly with a whisk or fork.

Add dough to a large mixing bowl and beat in the egg mixture over medium-low speed, a little bit at a time. When all the egg is incorporated and the dough looks blended and shiny, drop heaping tablespoons of dough into the prepared muffins cups.

Bake for 25 minutes, then remove the pan from the oven and turn the oven off. With a toothpick, poke a hole in each puff (to vent some of the steam) and return to the oven (the oven should still be turned off) for about 15 minutes.

When the puffs are completely cool, cut them in half horizontally with a serrated knife. You can fill the puffs with a seafood or chicken salad mixture or some light ice cream and fresh fruit.

Makes 10 puffs.

• Per puff: 53 calories, 2 g protein, 5 g carbohydrate, 3 g fat, .5 g saturated fat, 1 g monounsaturated fat, 1 g polyunsaturated fat, 44 mg cholesterol, .5 g fiber, 61 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 50 percent. Omega-3 fatty acids = .2 gram, Omega-6 fatty acids = .8 gram. Weight Watchers POINTS = 1

Elaine Magee is author of "The Recipe Doctor Cookbook" and "The Flax Cookbook." Reach her through her Web site at www.recipedoctor.com. Personal responses can't be provided.