Raw

The raw-food movement has arrived in the culinary mainstream with top chefs like Charlie Trotter, Thomas Keller, and Norman Van Alen espousing the wonders of living food. As Trotter remarks, the raw-food movement exemplifies the same philosophy of my restaurant--using the best possible ingredients at the height of their seasons, and not adulterating their flavors. Prepared with basic techniques such as juicing, dehydrating, and slicing, raw food has all of its nutritional value intact since it isn't subjected to the enzyme-rupturing process that intense heat induces, Trotter's 10-course raw-food tasting menus have converted many a skeptic, while Roxanne Klein's eponymous restaurant in Larkspur, California, has become a mecca for raw-food devotees. In Raw, six-time James Beard Award-winner Trotter collaborates with Klein to produce a landmark collection of 100 recipe--the ultimate tribute to the culinary height that this dynamic cuisine can reach. The chefs exalt the innate wholesomeness and beauty of fruits and vegetables in such innovative, remarkably flavorful dishes as Heirloom Tomato Soup with Alberquina Olives and Shaved Fennel; Peppercorn-Crusted Cashew Cheese with Honey Comb, Medjool Dates, and Dried Apricots; Polenta with Wild Mushroom Ragout; and Watermelon Soup with Sharlyn Melon Granite. Artfully presented, healthful, and deeply satisfying, raw food is not about austerity, but rather the celebration of food in its glorious natural state. In such skilled hands, it's nothing short of a revolution in the way we cook and eat.