[.ca] Raw Hc (ISBN 1580084702)

A work of art, but not a useful cookbook:
Trotter and Klein have produced a beautiful book of really interesting vegan recipes. No milk, no meat, no eggs. What's intriguing is that the dishes seem like they'll be very tasty and the photographs make them look wonderful. I'm glad that someone is out there pushing the edge of cuisine. But, after reading through Raw, I really understood Mark Twain's comment that Richard Wagner's music "is much better than it sounds." A problem with the cookbook is that the many of the recipes are unapproachable. Either the equipment requirements are beyond what most people have or can afford or the ingredients are so obscure as to be nearly unobtainable. Some of the procedures require several days to execute which is not really a problem per se; however, the process complexity is overdone. Like the Shaker song says "it's a gift to be simple." The notion that only raw foods are truly good for you is specious at best. Some vitamins and other nutrients are released by heat; cooking kills potentially dangerous bacteria and germs; and cooking makes some foods easier to digest. Bottom line - a lot of work went into this very creative cookbook. I'll keep it on my coffee table instead of my kitchen shelf.

Worth the Effort:
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.

Inspiring but Vague:
Roxanne Klein's cuisine is an appealing blend of funk and sophistication. Unlike co-author Charlie Trotter, she doesn't hold back when it comes to forthright ethnic flavor profiles (although she doesn't always push her ethnic dishes much beyond their traditional forms). Her composed entrees and salads, which show Trotter's input more clearly, are in some ways even more inspiring. Bright, intense, and often quite rich, Klein's dishes will astonish diners who expect raw food to be simple, austere, or cold. It seems like magic: one constantly asks, how on earth did she make those taco-shells, or those "fried" onions, or that rice-like sushi filling? This cookbook provides the answers, but may not give readers quite all the information they need to pull off similar culinary miracles at home. The lean prose is sometimes less than communicative: for example, she tells us to allow her cashew cheese to "ripen" for 12 hours, but gives no clue to the smell, texture, or taste that lets us know when ripeness has been achieved. The same is true for her rejuvelac recipe. One is left to cook by the numbers. More information about the preparation and acquisition of the exotic ingredients she uses would also have been nice. It's hard to imagine that most people know how to open a young coconut, much less how to extract the flesh in such a way that it can be julienned. Recommended substitutions for the specific mushrooms, chiles, fruits and sea-vegetables she uses would also be helpful. On the other hand, most readers of gourmet cookbooks are used to a little creative participation when it comes to realizing a fancy dish, and her plating, portion and flavor concepts leave plenty of room for flexibility. Finally, a word about equipment: while any ice-cream maker will work, and most dehydrators could be adapted with the use of a silpat or a cake liner, the expensive mixer she recommends really is helpful. Although she claims, rather hesitantly, that you can use your food processor or ordinary blender to puree the raw nuts and vegetables for her sauces and soups, my experience has not born this out--and my blender has shot out sparks. All in all, this book is likely to appeal most to people who often buy lavish, coffee-table gourmet cookbooks--but is likely to be most useful to people already grounded in raw cookery. Still, if you don't mind experimenting, making mistakes, and learning as you go, there's plenty here to intrigue and inspire.

Raw and engaging, tasty too:
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.

The best food if you have time & patience:
This book looks beautiful. It is definitely not for someone trying to cook in a hurry. It is complicated book with many steps requiring days of preparation. But I decided to try...I made a goal to make one dish per week. I had to start shopping for ingredients Wednesday-buying stuff in Asian market, Wild Oats, and regular supermarket to collect all ingredients. It would be easier if I would live next to gourmet shop. Another reason for early preparation was because many dishes require soak nuts for 12 hours. Thursday I choped ingredients, Friday I made sauces,and result? I definitely hate when people compare dishes to "heaven", "die for", but I had some of those heavenly feelings eating this food. I love how creative this food is, how wonderful sauces taste, it is very very hard to believe it is all raw! But now I need 1,200 dollars worth of equipment...I want to continue living and eating like this. It is wonderful how you are full of energy-no heaviness after eating this food! I could not find Smoked salt or Celtic salt, but dishes turned out to be wonderful anyway. I thought when using maple syrup about my trip to Vermont-I sort of remember seeing how they evaporated it by boiling, so I don't think it is raw ingredient. But I don't want to be critical, because this book deserves praise. Congratulations to Klein and Trotter- they are top notch-before this book I had no idea who they are, but now I am waiting for Raw 2:-)