Entertaining in the Raw - Matthew Kenney [32]
Filling Blend all ingredients in a Vita-Mix until very smooth. Fill tart crusts and chill in freezer 3–4 hours until firm. Cut while frozen and keep chilled until ready to serve.
“Ice cream” Blend all ingredients in Vita-Mix until very smooth. Pour into an ice cream maker and follow manufacturers instructions.
Assembly Serve tart with a scoop of “ice cream” and garnish with leaves and star anise on the plates. Serves 8–10
Ginger Date Flan with Mint Syrup, Sesame Brittle, and Shaved Green Pear
Mastering the ability to create varying textures is always a major challenge with raw food; persistence and experimentation can improve this immeasurably. With raw food, I can now approximate versions of flan, panna cotta, and all related desserts with a good amount of success. This flan is a sweet dessert—there is no way around that—but if you like exotic endings to a meal, this one will please.
Brittle
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup flax meal
Pinch sea salt
Flan
1-1/2 cups coconut meat
1 cup cashews, soaked 1–2 hours
1/2 cup raw agave
2 tablespoons minced ginger
1/4 cup Irish moss
1/2 cup dates, soaked 30 minutes in warm water and chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Syrup
1/2 cup mint leaves
1/2 cup raw agave
Garnish
1 green pear, shaved thinly
20 mint leaves
Brittle Process all ingredients in a food processor until well combined. Spread very thin on a Teflex sheet and dehydrate 12 hours; remove from Teflex and flip onto a screen and dehydrate another 12 hours. Break into large chunks.
Flan Blend all ingredients in a Vita-Mix until smooth. Pour into flan molds and refrigerate until set.
Syrup Blend all ingredients well in Vita-Mix and strain through a fine chinois.
Assembly Unmold the flans. Set 1 flan on each plate and drizzle mint syrup around each. Top with sesame brittle, shaved pear, and mint leaves. Serves 4
Avocado Tartare with Tamarind-Glazed Cherry Tomatoes, Black Sesame Pappadam, and Curry Froth
Raw food fans typically love avocados, and for good reason. They evoke fun, sensuality, richness, and nutrition, and are extremely versatile in food preparation. The idea of doing this dish as a tartare was to awaken our guests’ palates with an exotic, but not overpowering, starter during the spice dinner. Although there are many potentially powerful elements to this, they are used in a subtle manner and in such a way that the goal of teasing and awakening the taste buds was successful.
Tartare
2 ripe avocados, diced
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon lime zest
2 tablespoons macadamia nut oil
Salt
Black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon crushed coriander seed
1 jalapeño, minced
Pappadam
1 cup flax meal
1 cup chopped yellow squash
1/2 cup chopped coconut meat
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 cups water
2 tablespoons raw agave
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 cup black sesame seeds
Froth
1-1/2 cups red bell pepper, puréed
2 cups chopped mango
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 cup cashews, soaked 1–2 hours
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon nama shoyu
Tamarind-Glazed Cherry Tomatoes
1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1 cup dried tamarind, soaked 30 minutes
1/4 cup raw agave
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons sesame oil
Tartare Gently mix all ingredients in a medium bowl. Line soufflé cups with plastic wrap and gently press mixture into cups. Refrigerate 1–2 hours. Unmold directly onto serving dish.
Pappadam Blend all ingredients except sesame seeds in a Vita-Mix until smooth. Spread thinly into 3-inch rounds on dehydrator Teflex sheets; sprinkle with black sesame seeds. Dehydrate 5–6 hours, flip, and dehydrate until crisp.
Froth Blend all ingredients in Vita-Mix until smooth.
Tamarind-Glazed Cherry Tomatoes Dehydrate tomatoes until soft, about 1 hour. Remove seeds from tamarind, push