Lick My Spoon » Lick My Spoon: a place for all things delicious

How Professional Eaters Stay Balanced

Stephanie — Tue, 15 May 2012 22:21:32 +0000

Lately, I've had Spring Cleansing and fitness on the brain.

I mean, when eating is your job, how do you stay in shape? I’ve often wondered how people in the biz do it. Some are just lucky. Ruth Reichl and Dana Cowin have both attributed their svelte physique to good genes. (Oh, if only I was blessed with a hummingbird’s metabolism. I’d be unstoppable.) For the rest of us, maintaining balance can be a daily struggle.

Michelin three-star superchef Masa Takayama runs every morning…and has lost 30 pounds in the past five years doing so. Jonathan Kauffman, SF editor at Tasting Table and former food critic at SF Weekly, follows a sensible plan of exercising 4-5 times a week (a mix of biking and an hour of cardio at the gym) and eating healthy on nights off. He shares:

“I don't believe in detoxing, or rather, I never have a few days away from reviewing restaurants. I do cook mostly vegetarian on my non-review nights, just to make sure I eat as many fruits and vegetables as I can.”

If you follow Marcia Gagliardi’s Tablehopper (and you should), you know that this woman’s life is a decadent flurry of wining and dining, so I was delighted to pick her brain on this topic. Here’s what she had to say...[Read Full Post]

Spring Cleansing: Juicing

Stephanie — Wed, 09 May 2012 20:53:47 +0000

I never thought I’d be one of those girls who juiced. I’ve never believed in dieting, certainly never did a regimented cleanse before…they seemed gimmicky, rigid, and not very healthy. So why would I ever consider a juice cleanse?

Well, let’s face it. Food is my life. I make an effort to balance out the foie dinners and cheese benders with kale and quinoa, but sometimes all the fun catches up to me and I need a detox.

The whole juicing trend intrigued me, and seemed to be winning over fellow food bloggers by the masses. Joy the Baker loves cheeseburgers just like me, and she did it. Tracy Shutterbean broke it down for me and it seemed less intimidating. And Sylvie at Gourmande in the Kitchen made juicing for health sound downright delicious.

The idea behind juicing is that it allows your body to quickly absorb high levels of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients, while giving your digestive track a much needed break...[Read Full Post]

20 Kitchen Essentials

Stephanie — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:09:20 +0000

When Hua and I got married we decided to forgo the traditional bridal registry. Between his addiction to trolling Craigslist for restaurant going-out-of-business sales and my habit of goading him on, the last thing we needed was more stuff. We agreed that we’d much rather have a travel fund than receive a blender (...unless it was a Vitamix).

Our summer calendar is flooded with weddings this year, and it made me think of all those registry-gun-wielding brides out there. I imagine aisle after aisle of appliances, cookware, and knives to choose from. Which one to pick? Which will last the longest? Which is best? Can’t someone just make an informed decision for me?

Before you have a panic attack in the middle of Bed Bath & Beyond, the answer is Yes.

Overwhelmed Shopper, meet America’s Test Kitchen. America’s Test Kitchen testers spend roughly 2-3 months painstakingly product testing cookware so that only the best make it to your kitchen. They go into insane detail about how it was tested, what the user experience was, and how it matched up to the competition. They are the savvy shopper’s secret weapon.

Whether you’re preparing a registry, or just looking to build out a solid kitchen, here is your golden ticket. 20 Kitchen Essentials, gleaned from America’s Test Kitchen’s most recommended products. This is the dream team of kitchen equipment. These products have been hand-selected, and well, pardon my French, but I trust them because I just know they’ve been tested the shit out of...[Read Full Post]

Forbidden Foie Gras

Stephanie — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 17:46:01 +0000

We hurried along in the cloak of darkness, skirting the lamp posts, our footsteps echoing on the wet cobblestone. We reached our destination, threw a quick look over our shoulders to make sure we weren’t being followed, and then approached the discreet door, solid, bolted. One long knock followed by three swift knocks.

Password: quack quack.

A foie gras dinner awaits.

*****

Ok, so maybe it wasn’t quite so dramatic. But with California’s upcoming ban on foie gras slated for July 1 (Senate Bill 1520), who knows what kind of clandestine measures we’ll have to take to get a taste of the forbidden foie?

I predict a healthy black market, astronomic prices, and a resurgence of speakeasy grilles in the door design world.

Vivid imagination aside, the morality of producing, serving, and eating foie gras is a hotly debated, emotional topic from both sides. At the crux of the matter is the practice of gavage, the use of a funnel inserted into the duck/goose’s esophagus to force-feed grain over the final few weeks of its life. Those in favor of the foie gras ban argue that the practice of gavage is cruel...[Read Full Post]

Weekend Getaway: Oysters + Cheese {Marin, Part 2}

Stephanie — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 04:16:50 +0000

We are now entering the cheese portion of this eating excursion. Get excited. Because you’ll notice on your drive up through Marin County that this is indeed cow country.

The Point Reyes peninsula has a long and tasty history of artisan cheesemaking. During the Gold Rush, European immigrants built dairies here to supply butter and cheese to gold miners in San Francisco. The peninsula became known as “cow heaven” and from the looks of it, not much has changed.

Just as the nutrient rich and pristine waters of Tomales Bay play an integral role in creating oysters that burst with briny, buttery sweetness, the salty Pacific breezes, cooling coastal fog, and abundant grasslands make this area prime for producing some of the best cheeses in the country. In fact, a whopping 22,000 acres of land in Marin and Sonoma are dedicated to making cheese milk products.

700 of those acres belong to the Giacomini Family Dairy, a.k.a. the Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company, maker of one of my favorite cheeses of all time, the Point Reyes Original Blue. We arrived at the farm, and proceeded up the driveway. An unassuming, curving dirt path, we wound around and rumbled uphill, and then, as we broke the crest of the hill, the most picturesque sight greeted us. I can only describe it as a sweeping panorama of pastoral bliss. Rolling, lush, green hills, a calm pool of water, hundreds of beautiful Holstein cows lazing in the sun, grazing, gossiping about the new bull in town, you know, doing stuff happy cows do. It was cow paradise...[Read Full Post]

Weekend Getaway: Oysters + Cheese {Marin, Part 1}

Stephanie — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 03:18:59 +0000

One of my favorite things about living in SF is the infinite number of weekend excursions we have at our fingertips. If we’re feeling the need to get out of the city, we have our pick of beach, mountains, and wine country waiting for us. Just an hour north of SF in Marin County is one of our favorite getaways. It involves generous quantities of oysters and cheese. I thought you’d like that.

Let’s start with the magnificent oyster. It’s no secret that the Hog Island Oyster Farm is one of my ultimate happy places. There is nothing like it. My game plan usually involves packing a picnic of some chilled bubbly, a spread of cheeses, meats, fruit, olive bread, and some candied nuts if I’m really on top of things. Throw in a bag of charcoal if you like to BBQ your oysters (there are grills you can use on site), and don’t forget to bring some dishtowels – shucking can get pretty slippery...[Read Full Post]

Tomato Pie

Stephanie — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 17:33:11 +0000

When it comes to challenges in the kitchen, I tend to get a bit fixated. If a recipe fails (sad face) I go straight into problem-solving mode until I have exhausted.every.single.possibility. I guess it’s the neurotic perfectionist in me.

If you’ve been reading LMS for awhile, you know all about my love for Tomato Pie. Tomato Pie is not like pie pie. There’s no pastry crust, no mayonnaise, no raw tomatoes decoratively placed on top. No, Tomato Pie is more like a Sicilian-style pizza but without the cheese on top. It’s a simple pleasure of thick, soft crust, and sweet, tangy tomato sauce...[Read Full Post]

Jambalaya Arancini

Stephanie — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:34:54 +0000

Arancini, one of the best food inventions ever in my opinion, are traditionally made with creamy risotto. They are typically stuffed with some sort of ground meat and cheese, breaded, and fried. I had the best arancini of my life in Sicily, where they were the size of softballs and stuffed with pistachio pesto (!). I definitely plan on turning my favorite Butternut Squash Risotto into delightful arancini balls one day.

Today though, these fried rice balls get a jazzy makeover with jambalaya instead of the usual risotto. And, instead of mozzarella or provolone, I opted for a smoked Gouda which melted beautifully and played well with the spices and rich flavor of the jambalaya. If New Orleans and Italy had a food baby, this is what you'd get...[Read Full Post]

Kale Pesto Quinoa + 10 Irish Beers for St. Patrick’s Day

Stephanie — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 17:10:21 +0000

Green beer and Shamrock Shakes are just a few of the questionable ways to go green this St. Patty’s Day. Here’s another option that is festively shamrock-hued yet delicious and easy enough to become a perennial staple: Kale Pesto Quinoa. That’s right my lucky leprechauns, I’ve taken two of the trendiest, most wildly popular superfoods right now and combined them into one mega-healthy dish. Is your body thanking you in advance for the motherload of vitamins, nutrients, and complete amino acids you’re about to give it? I thought so.

A pesto made of basil and kale gives this quinoa salad its vibrant color. Handfuls of barely steamed broccoli florets bump up the green quotient (not to mention Vitamin C and cancer fighting properties)...[Read Full Post]

Q&A with Chef Masa Takayama

Stephanie — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 22:30:50 +0000

Michelin three-star chef Masayoshi Takayama – or, simply “Masa” – is a true artist. Like Madonna, Prince, Gaga…he’s such a big deal he doesn’t even need a last name. Check the chef’s jacket. Truth.

I had the pleasure of dining at Bar Masa in Vegas awhile back and was wowed by the artistry of the meal. The presentation was beautiful and the dishes were crafted with thoughtfulness, flavors and textures layered upon one another like brushstrokes.

I was delighted to sit down with Masa, the chef/artist/poet behind it all. Here’s what he had to say about Shaboo (his latest venture in Las Vegas), his inspirations, fishing trips, a life-changing dish, and love of Oreos + soy milk...[Read Full Post]