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Title: Raw by Charlie Trotter, Roxanne Klein, Tim Turner, Jason Smith ISBN: 1-58008-470-2 Publisher: Ten Speed Press Pub. Date: December, 2003 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.09 (11 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Truly Gourmet Raw Cuisine
Comment: Finally! The long wait was worth it. Charlie Trotter and Roxanne Klein have raised the bar and given us a beautiful, inspiring version of raw "haute cuisine".
I have been "raw" for well over a year and have been consistently dismayed by the lack of exciting and delicious recipes. Even so-called gourmet books (like Julianno's overly celebrated "Raw: the Un-cook book") are little more than a bunch of ingredients clumsily thrown together in a barage of contrasting flavors. In the hands of Trotter & Klein, however, raw cuisine has finally risen above crunch salads and the hard core health approach. These recipes are an exquisite interplay of flavors and textures... fresh, surprising and perfectly balanced. I've been thrilled with each of the creations I've tried so far!
One nice thing about this collaboration is that it presents raw food at its beautiful, sublime best. No heavy handed propoganda, health warnings or "holier than thou" approach. The gorgeous photos and recipes speak for themselves. Klein's introduction sums up the raw approach to life simply and succinctly.
As a professionally trained chef, I am the first to admit this book is not for everyone. It has a great format and layout with stunning photographs on every page. And while most of the recipes seem fairly straight forward to me, there is little here that one could throw together quickly for dinner. Trotter is well-known for his amazing palate and fairly complex approach to food (though he still considers it keeping things simple!). Like most fine food, several of the recipes have numerous stages, steps and sauces; many of the ingredients seem a bit obscure to those who aren't "foodies". None of Trotter's books are for the novice and RAW proves no exception.
If you're new to raw cuisine, this probably isn't the book for you. Be advised that all the recipes are vegan (no animal or dairy products). If you're at the level where you want to spend some serious time in the kitchen to dazzle your senses - or perhaps entertain and present some spectacular raw food to friends! - then look no further. It doesn't get any better than this, folks.
Bon appetit!
Rating: 5
Summary: Raw and engaging, tasty too
Comment: I initially purchased this book only because of Charlie Trotter. Since I consider Charlie one of the greatest chefs alive, and have all of his other cookbooks, I felt there was something going on here. I had read about the "raw" movement, but had not paid much attention to it.
The book, like all of Charlie's other books, is as beautiful as a work of art. The pictures are full page and really display the food like jewels. One glance through and you are already getting hungry.
The recipes, amazingly enough, require a bit of work. You would think that without cooking it would be easier to prepare dishes, but the prep work here can be considerable. Dedicate some time to reading a recipe before trying.
I have already made several different dishes and each has come out wonderfully. The cauliflower soup in particular was a pleasant surprise. All of the work was within the skill set of the experienced home chef.
If you want to make many of the recipes, however, you will need some special ingredients and some equipment. You can find many of the food products at your local "natural" foods store or gourmet market. The one piece of equipment that seems essential to have is a good quality dehydrator.
Enjoy the food and the process.
Rating: 4
Summary: Worth the Effort
Comment: As other reviews suggest, this cookbook is filled with complex recipes that frequently call for out-of-the-ordinary ingredients and food preparation techniques such as soaking, dehydrating, blending and sieving. Yet the results are worth every bit of the effort.
In exploring living foods, I've found other chefs' approaches to be too raw (salads, salads and more salads) or too intent on emulating cooked foods (nut loaf, seed cheese, sprouted breads). Frequently raw chefs deliver recipes that are variations of these same basic themes. This book transcends all of that.
Even when I'm preparing something that resembles a raw food basic, e.g. a soup made from fruit/vegetable juice, the results when following Charlie and Roxanne's recipes are completely different than expected, complex, layered, with lots of nuance to appreciate. The asparagus soup is a delectable example of this. Another is Roxanne's signature appetizer at her restaurant and opening recipe in this book, the Wakame Sushi Rolls. Many people dabbling or dedicated to living foods will likely have seen raw sushi rolls, in which soaked crushed nuts or ground root vegetable take the place of the rice in the roll. In Roxanne's version, the spice/vinegar/honey addition to ground parsnips is truly unique and lifts the raw sushi roll out of the reliance on nuts.
The most relevant grumble I have with the book: there are several dishes which require the preparation of four to seven distinct recipes. The Wakame Sushi rolls consist of four recipes plus the dicing/slicing of roll veggies. The Tacos Three Ways is the most egregious example I've noticed, with eight recipes in total to deliver the dish as written. Still, there are several dishes that are a straight, single recipe or two. And, of course, each of us is free to make tacos "one way" instead of three or otherwise omit and substitute. The Wakame rolls are plenty tasty even without the Wasabi mayonnaise or chiffonade cut Nori decorating the plate. Also, you will find that some of the component recipes are wonderful on other creations of your own making, e.g. the mushroom sauce and wild mushroom ragout used on something other than the raw-corn polenta.
You don't have to be a living foods enthusiast or zealot to appreciate the flavors, textures and experience that result from these recipes. Charlie Trotter is proof of that. But you will need the equipment that is standard among living foodies if you want to do anything more than dabble in these recipes. In order of priority, you will need a food processor, blender, juicer, dehydrator, and jars/trays for soaking and sprouting.
I've made ten dishes from this book, some several times already, and have been surprised, delighted and even amazed with the results. And my guests have been similarly pleased. Thanks to the nuance and layers of flavors, each preparation has been worth the effort.
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Title: Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine by Gabriel, Md. Cousens, Tree of Life Cafe ISBN: 1556434650 Publisher: North Atlantic Books Pub. Date: March, 2003 List Price(USD): $30.00 |
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Title: The Complete Book of Raw Food: Healthy, Delicious Vegetarian Cuisine Made With Living Foods--Includes Over 350 Recipes from the World's Top Raw Food Chefs by Julie Rodwell, Victoria Boutenko, Elysa Markowitz ISBN: 1578261430 Publisher: Hatherleigh Pr Pub. Date: 15 December, 2003 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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Title: Living Cuisine: The Art and Spirit of Raw Foods by Renee Loux Underkoffler, Woody Harrelson ISBN: 1583331719 Publisher: Avery Penguin Putnam Pub. Date: 01 January, 2004 List Price(USD): $21.95 |
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Title: Raw : The Uncook Book: New Vegetarian Food for Life by Juliano Brotman, Erika Lenkert ISBN: 0060392622 Publisher: Regan Books Pub. Date: 01 May, 1999 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
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Title: Art of Aureole by Charlie Palmer, Judith Choate ISBN: 1580084761 Publisher: Ten Speed Press Pub. Date: December, 2003 List Price(USD): $50.00 |
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