Entertaining in the Raw - Matthew Kenney [2]
Ingredients are always the most important part of a great meal. This holds even truer with raw food, where nothing will be masked by flour, sugar, butter, or heavy cooking. It is always worth the effort to search for the freshest organic ingredients—local if at all possible. Many raw food recipes require soaking, sprouting, marinating, and dehydrating. For that reason, it is best to sit down with the recipes you intend to prepare and make two lists: one for shopping and another for preparation. The great thing about raw food is its versatility as to when it needs to be served. Whereas some cooked food often becomes dry or inedible if not eaten when it is finished cooking, the recipes in this book that won’t hold up for a very long time are designed to be prepared ahead but assembled when ready to eat. Many of the most complicated dishes can actually be plated and garnished in no time, as long as the preparation (what chefs call mis en place) is in good order.
Raw food provides many opportunities for service that other foods don’t. It does not need to be hot, although a few dishes are recommended to be served slightly warm from the dehydrator, which can sometimes maximize flavor and texture. For this reason, it is an ideal choice for an outdoor meal or a meal in a space with no traditional kitchen. The only requirement in most cases would be to have nearby access to electricity in case something needs to be warmed, blended, or finished at the last minute.
It is always a good idea to consider the balance of dishes that are served. My chapters provide some guidance in this area and highlight ways that food can be combined to make a statement beyond just taste. All of the recipes in this book are inspired by a season, emotion, or other value that relates to experimental cuisine. I believe that food for entertaining is more interesting if it relates to something larger, just as the best art and literature always offer a message beyond their respective beauty or story. A menu concept can be as straightforward as “summer” and as elaborate as something inspired by contemporary art. These concepts also provide more for guests to indulge in and will surprise the cook in how they also give a deeper appreciation for the food itself. Whereas French cuisine, for example, has centuries of history behind it, upscale raw food is relatively new, and these creative attachments help build its core personality.
Enjoy—As a home or professional cook, perhaps the greatest reward with this food is that you will have a better opportunity to be with your guests, because the food does not have to be warmed, reduced, heated, and taken out of the oven. Assuming the mis en place is taken care of, assembly is still required, but it will be much faster than usual to finalize the plates. Most of these recipes are not portioned in a traditional way, meaning that they provide the flexibility to be served on smaller plates or larger platters or, in most cases, at a large decorated table. They hold up well and many don’t need to be eaten right away. Having no pots and pans to wash is perhaps the final surprise.
On my own journey with raw food, I found challenge, excitement, flavor, health, and a new sense of creative direction. If this book offers you the same rewards, I think you’ll be well fed—and happy.
Guidance—Every book has a story—where its idea originated, what the message is, and how it should be used on a day-to-day basis. In writing this one, although the book has developed a personality of its own over time, my goal has always been to bring to life the many unique possibilities that raw food beholds. I am so personally impressed by raw food, and inspired on a regular basis, that