Entertaining in the Raw - Matthew Kenney [3]
Recipes are like roadmaps: They may offer the fastest way to arrive at a result, but your trip must take into account personal tastes, your schedule and sometimes even the weather. Although I may like something spicy, you may prefer it a bit sweet, or a dish that I’ve recommend you serve in a composed manner might be more appealing to you with its components kept separate. Time is something that we all value and never seem to have enough of. Therefore, it is always necessary with detailed recipes such as these, to read a recipe in its entirety, think about your approach and make decisions about what can be done ahead, of if there is a component you’d like to leave out. My comment about the weather is a very real one: humidity or dryness affects the texture of many raw food recipes and can dramatically alter dehydrating times, crispness, and even taste of some dishes. An ingredient in one part of the world may look the same but taste totally different than one from afar. Be open-minded and try to take the best route for you.
Think of this book as you might about fashion, creating your own combinations to suit personal tastes and preferences. There are really several recipes within each dish—dozens of sauces, garnishes, fillings, bases, and other elements. Each of these can be used as part of a meal, as an addition to a salad or dessert, or in any number of ways. My best suggestion is to read this book in its entirety, cover to cover, and get familiar with it, just like you might your own wardrobe. Think of it and all of its elements as part of your culinary arsenal and make use of it accordingly. Most of dishes in this book are structured as they would be in a restaurant environment or at an important event or celebration. Still, the basic elements and techniques of the book are all applicable on a regular basis, and can be used in the same way that much simpler recipes might be. Ideally, as a reader of the book, you will feel that your possibilities for raw food preparation have been expanded.
Every meal is a unique experience and, therefore, a recipe is simply a tool to help enhance that experience. While I have suggested how to present my recipes with photographs and assembly instructions, you may prefer to serve everything family style. Tacos, for example, would be great with the components in separate bowls and the naked shells available for everyone to choose from. Let guests fill them, make them part of that experience, and it usually works out well. I may use a garnish that you don’t have access to—it’s only a garnish, but changing a green, or removing spice here and there, will not seriously compromise a dish. You will often have leftover sauces or fillings. Some recipes are easier to produce in larger quantities and don’t work well in very small batches due to equipment limitations or other reasons. That said, I’ve never seen an extra cup or two of chocolate sauce, marshmallow cream, or raw ice cream go to waste. In fact, it may just be good for breakfast.
Just remember, it’s about the experience, not only with what’s on the plate, but how you arrived at the plate. If you’ve enjoyed it to that stage, you’ll have a great meal.
Blossom
If nothing ever changed, there’d be no butterflies.
—Tom Robbins, Still Life with Woodpecker
Every spring, I encounter a moment where I am transported back to my childhood during an unseasonably warm afternoon