Photo by Antonis Achilleos
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Fabulous Food
By Monica Bhide, May & June 2006
Long to luxuriate at a spa? We bring you the next best thing—tips for creating luscious spa cuisine at home
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Dean Rucker, executive chef at the legendary Golden Door spa in Escondido, California, can't recall how often first-time guests have brought along a stash of cookies for their week of healthful living. But it's often enough that the chef regularly includes chocolate chip cookies—as well as chocolate-mocha flan and lemon yogurt-berry brûlée—on the menu.
"Spa cuisine is not some fad diet that leaves you feeling hungry," says Scott Uehlein, corporate chef for the Canyon Ranch resorts in Tucson, Arizona, and Lenox, Massachusetts. "It's about a lifestyle change. It's about getting back to basics and starting to cook from scratch. It's about flavorful food that is not complicated."
Of course, not everyone can afford to spend a week at the Golden Door or Canyon Ranch resorts. For that reason we've asked Rucker, Uehlein, and Chad Luethje, executive chef at the Red Mountain Spa in St. George, Utah, to give us their tips for creating scrumptious spa food at home. We've also asked them to share a few of their best recipes—chocolate chip cookies included.
Use Smart Substitutes
Spa-style cooking uses very little fat. (Other ingredients help bring in flavor.) Substitutes that Luethje suggests: "Try vegetable stock for the chicken stock, puréed potatoes for cream, fructose or agave syrup for sugar, olive oil for butter, and so on." Check out the lists of substitutes in Canyon Ranch Cooks: More Than 200 Delicious, Innovative Recipes From America's Leading Health Resort (Rodale, 2001) and online at the National Institutes of Health website.
Balance Your Palate
Each dish that Uehlein creates has all the elements of sweet, sour, bitter, and salty. This tricks the body into thinking it's consuming more than it is, so you don't crave something sweet—or salty—afterward. Ingredients such as maple syrup, black olives, and radicchio can add flavor without a lot of calories.
Change the Oil
If you haven't already, switch to extra-virgin olive oil. And use a mister or a spray bottle rather than dumping oil directly from the bottle. "This allows you to really fine-tune the amount you're using," Luethje says.
Go Au Naturel
Use lots of fruits and vegetables, and don't overload them with seasonings. Dedicate a small coffee grinder for the task of grinding spices right when you need them. Since freshly ground spices have stronger flavors, you'll end up using less, Rucker says.
Fire 'Em Up
Grilling is a great way to cook without a lot of extra fat. Open-flame roasting of vegetables such as bell peppers also dramatically deepens their flavor.
Think Outside the Shaker
When cutting down on fat, it's tempting to add more salt, but that can be just as bad for you. Instead, enhance the flavor of dishes by adding citrus juice and zest.
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