Raw

The ratings for this book are all over the place. Although I am giving it five stars, I do not disagree with those in the two and three camp. Their remarks are largely true. The important thing to remember is not to buy this one unless you have your eyes wide open. The mechanics of preparing this food is heavily dependant on both machinery and motivation. When Trotter says you need a dehydrator (or live in Phoenix), a HEAVY DUTY juicer, HIGH SPEED blender and an ice cream maker, he means it. For me, it was a dang good excuse to triple my capital budget for the kitchen. Second, the complaints about his ingredient list are valid. Short of 'eye of newt', he is really pushing it. But once you get through the technical side, you can make viable substitutions. And the stuff such as 'celtic' sea salt, and 'Manodori' balsamic is more to make you aware than to be a requirement, same as the wine suggestions. You can use English sea salt (which has the highest nutrient count) or any balsamic at least sixteen yrs. old. The value of this book is that these dishes work very well. My test cases (read: guests) responded very well in every instance. This stuff tastes good and feels good to chomp on. If you are concerned about nutrition and health, it all seems good on all counts. This is food you cannot make any other way without brute force and primitave tools. While the photos are good for coffee table art, the real value is to people like me, who have no sense of presentation and sling hash as a Jackson Pollack (sic, my heritage) imitation. If you are so inclined to spend the time and cash, you will be pleased.

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:-)

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.

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!