Matthew Kenney Lifestyle » raw desserts

Triple Layer Chocolate Cake

Matthew Kenney — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 04:07:49 +0000

Meredith invented the definitive chocolate cake for our upcoming book, Everyday Raw Desserts. She and her friend Simone prepared it this weekend for the birthday dinner of my partner, Dara Prentice, which was held on the patio of 105degrees.

Triple Layer Cacao Cake

Wet Ingredients

3 C Date Paste
½ C Almond Milk
½ C Maple Syrup or Agave
5 tbsp Vanilla
½ C Coconut Oil, melted

Dry Ingredients

4 C Almond flour
4 C Hazelnut flour
1 C Coconut Powder
1 C Cacao Powder
1 tsp Salt
*¼ C Irish Moss Paste can be used with wet ingredients or ¼ C flax meal with the dry.
This is optional and creates a fluffier mixture.

Wet Ingredients

In a vita mix thoroughly blend all the wet ingredients except for the coconut oil until smooth. Then add the coconut oil and continue to blend until well combined.

To Make Cake Batter

In a mixer or food processor mix the dry ingredients until thoroughly combined. Slowly add the wet ingredients. It is better to use a standing mixture as this will keep the mixture lighter and more fluffy, but if you do not have a standing mixer it can be done in the food processor if you lightly pulse the wet ingredients in. You do not want a dense heavily blended mixture.

Fudge Frosting

2 C soaked Cashews
2 C Almond Milk
½ Maple Syrup
4 tbsp Vanilla Extract
1 C Cacao Powder
¼ tsp Salt
¾ C Coconut Butter, melted
Cacao Shell*

Frosting

In a vita mix thoroughly blend all the wet ingredients except for the coconut oil until smooth. Then add the coconut oil and continue to blend until well combined and creamy. Place in the refrigerator for 30 min to an hour until slightly firm, but still able to be easily spread.

Assembly
Divide cake batter into thirds. Press one layer of batter in a 9 inch spring form pan and alternate with frosting. Refrigerate just before serving and glaze with Cacao shell.

Makes one 9 inch cake

The Skinny on Everyday Raw Desserts

Meredith Baird — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 20:34:08 +0000

“The creative process is a process of surrender, not control” – Julia Cameron, writer

What does raw food bring to mind? Freshness, health, holism, life and energy, elements of earth and water, and all things green. What does a great food memory include? Good company, inspired conversation, perhaps a sense of discovery. How about dessert? Look but don’t touch, or the best part of the evening?

Early this summer a rustic cottage was filled with a combination of all these sentiments in order to create a book that many people would connect to. Everyday Raw Desserts is the next in a growing line of cookbooks due to hit the shelves spring 2010.

The process behind the shoot was intensive, and the stage was set with all the elements necessary to invoke a natural and cozy sense of imagery. Together we pieced together sweet delights from nostalgic recipes twisting and converting favorites both old and new. The experience, as is the norm with raw food was alchemistic.

Unassumingly basic ingredients transformed in our blenders, processors and dehydrators into whimsical variations of traditional and modern classics. The project was complimented with a talented and creative photographer, and our challenge as a team was to explore and highlight how beautiful raw desserts could be.

Rule of thumb – keep it real, what you see is what you get. Each picture was to be the exact recipe with no fillers or fluff. As one would expect time and temperature weren’t always working on the same side. The challenge of shooting living food dishes are all the natural side effects that come with the territory. Pure ingredients being unrefined or stabilized weep and melt – they practically ask to be eaten often before the shoot is complete. We worked quickly and embraced all the poetically perfect imperfections. Unexpectedly, some of the best shoots were the ones that ended up improvised. We all ended up most pleasantly surprised when we surrendered, simplified and allowed the light of the creation shine through.

These sweet results led me to consider how manufactured our visual modern experience is, and how deeply conditioned we can be to associate beauty with engineered perfection. This stands for the human form, as well as the food we put into it.

The project was blessed with the right environment and team for a concept people can connect to on an everyday basis. There is something for cozy snack, or some more creative entertaining (look for en entire chapter on raw chocolate.) It’s designed to demystify the most exciting side raw food. These are the creations you pass around to win over the skeptics. The recipes taste as good as they look. They are simple and what will eventually grace the pages of ERD is tangible in your kitchen (or cottage.) The images will show how wonderful the final results really were, and hopefully the inspiration that was in that cottage early this summer will be felt long after its over.

Vladimir Horowitz “Perfection itself is imperfection”

“Knowledge is a process of piling up facts; wisdom lies in their simplification.” Martin H. Fischer

“The crucial variable in the process of turning knowledge into value is creativity.” John Kao

Raw French Macaroons

Meredith Baird — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 05:03:06 +0000

One of the most exciting things about raw foods, aside from the health benefit, is having the opportunity to reinvent dishes. Sometimes you feel like an artist that has discovered a new medium. This is one aspect that I find most inspiring – being creative. Some dishes are easy, some dishes are incredibly complex and a lot of them have just never been done before! So when I was given the task of working on a traditional French Macaroon I could have not been more excited. Matthew and I both love them so aside from chocolate this is the next best thing

I actually cannot put in words how much I love macaroons. I LOVE them! Never again will any one of my family members try to steal a macaroon from me (it almost ruined Christmas one year). For me they bring back images of Paris, peering over the counter at Laudreee trying to choose from all of the beautiful colors. So many beautiful colors! As a gift, they are intoxicatingly romantic little desserts. Delicate, rich and beautiful truly a one of a kind treat.

However, making a dainty raw dessert is somewhat tricky. Raw desserts are often very dense and heavy- completely opposite from a French Macaroon. My efforts in the kichen have been surprisingly successful thus far, although I have not been able to quite capture the glow that you get on a traditional macaroon. I will. I have been working with different flours and sweetners to add flavour, but not density. There are no secrets to be revealed yet. It is a work in progress- but the end result is worth endless hours of trail and error!

Chocolate Chapter

Matthew Kenney — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 18:02:22 +0000

While most writers may find it more practical to write a book from the beginning, Everyday Raw Desserts began from chocolate. There are a number of chapters I’m excited to write about (and taste), but none as much as Cacao.

I’m fortunate to be working on this book with Meredith Baird, who is not only talented but also extremely clever with the raw beans and their multiple uses. Meredith recently moved to New York, from Napa Valley, where she worked in the wine industry (along with chocolate, another living essential!). As with all food in its natural state, the success of raw chocolate is largely based on the integrity of its ingredients. In our case, Meredith was able to source something extremely special, which we’ll write more about later, and also develop a new method for preparing the chocolate at a very low temperature.

This chocolate was rich and buttery, not overly sweet but lacking a harsh bitterness that often accompanies raw cacao. It also remains very firm, regardless of heat or humidity (within reason, of course).

Another valid reason for beginning a book with raw cacao: If it’s good enough, you won’t have trouble staying awake to write the next 9 chapters.

Raw Mochi

Meredith Baird — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 02:20:58 +0000

Goji Berry, Green Tea and Lemongrass Mochi

Mochi means “rice cake”, and they are a traditional Japanese New Years food due to their resemblance of the mirror decorating the Shinto Shrine. The origin of the name has three translated meanings, including “Full Moon”, “From God” and “Stickiness”. With our upcoming New Year, I could not think of a more appropriate recipe to offer. It is a long process, fit for a holiday.

Mochi

1 cup cashews

? cup young Thai coconut meat

? cup raw agave

? cup extra virgin coconut oil

Pinch sea salt

? tsp. vanilla extract

Few drops non-alcohol almond extract

? cup oat flour *

? cup coconut flour **

Oat flour is made by grinding whole raw oat groats in a high speed blender or coffee or spice grinder, until very fine flour is achieved.
Coconut flour is made by grinding dried coconut flakes in a high speed blender or a coffee or spice grinder, until fine flour is achieved. Do not over process or the oils in the coconut will cause the coconut to cake together.

Mochi Process

Blend first 7 ingredients in a Vita-Mix until very smooth and creamy. Transfer mixture to a medium-size bowl and stir in flours until it is very well combined and lumps are smoothed out. Line a 9X13 inch pan and spread very thin, approximately ? inch thick. Place in freezer until firm.

Goji Berry Ice Cream

? cup cashews, soaked 1-2 hours

? cup macadamia nuts, soaked 1-2 hours

? cup young thai coconut meat

? cup agave nectar

1 ? cups water

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1 cup soaked goji berries, blended and strained through a fine sieve

Goji Berry Ice Cream Process

Blend all ingredients in Vita-Mix until very smooth. Pour into an ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s instructions; or freeze base in a square pan, cut, and run through a masticating juicer (such as the Champion or Greenstar). Freeze overnight. Scoop 2 large rounded scoops of “ice cream” into a pan or plate: freeze until very firm.

Vanilla Lemongrass Ice Cream

? cup cashews, soaked 1-2 hours

? cup macadamia nuts, soaked 1-2 hours

? cup young thai coconut meat

? cup agave nectar

1 ? cups water

2 tsp. vanilla extract

? vanilla bean, flesh scraped

? cup lemongrass juice

Pinch sea salt

? cup coconut oil

Vanilla Lemongrass Ice Cream Process

Blend all ingredients in Vita-Mix until very smooth. Pour into ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s instructions; or freeze base in square pan, cut and run through masticating juicers (such as the Champion or Greenstar). Freeze overnight. Scoop 2 large rounded scoops of “ice cream” into a pan or plate: freeze until very firm.

Green Tea Ice Cream

? cup cashews, soaked 1-2 hours

? cup macadamia nuts, soaked 1-2 hours

? cup young Thai coconut meat

? cup agave nectar

1? cups water

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 ? tbs. green tea powder

Pinch sea salt

? cup coconut oil

Green Tea Ice Cream Instructions

Cacao Syrup

1? cups agave nectar

? cup raw cacao powder

2 tbs. raw carob powder

? tsp. vanilla extract

Pinch sea salt

? cup coconut oil

Cacao Syrup Instructions

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Keep in a warm area until ready to serve.

Assembly

Oat Flour

Mint or Basil Sprigs

Dust a dry cutting board with oat flour. Turn out frozen mochi onto a cutting board and peel off plastic. Cut six 4X4 pieces. With floured hands, flatten each piece until very thin. Place 1 scoop of ice cream in the center of each mochi sheet and mold mochi around ice cream until ice cream is completely covered; smooth ridges with fingers.

Place mocha-covered ice cream in freezer immediately and freeze 8-10 hours until completely frozen. To serve, slice ends off each mocha ice cream ball and cut into 2 uniform pieces. Place a slice of each flavor on serving plates and garnish with mint or basil sprigs and cacao syrup. Serves 4

Raw Smores

Matthew Kenney — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 06:07:41 +0000

My grandmother always loved to discuss my affinity for all things sweet, specifically pie. We grew up in the land of wild blueberries, which also happened to be my favorite flavor. Before I could finish my first slice, warm with melting vanilla ice cream, she would speak my future words “more pie, mom” for me. So it went, until 2/3 of the pie was gone, the rest being just enough for a late night snack.

Chocolate has also always been at the top of my list, in any of its various forms. Althouh smores were not part of my childhood sweets rotation, they are a favorite of many people and something that nearly everyone loves.

This raw version is from my upcoming book, Entertaining in the Raw. I’ve been working on a slightly varied version this week, for the opening of Cafe 118 in Winter Park, Florida.

Its really not necessary to assemble the dish – the components are fine on their own or simple in the hands of guests who can add whatever quanities they like to create their own balance.

RAW SMORES

Serves 4–6

Graham Cookie

5 cups cashew flour

2 1/2 cups oat flour

3/4 cup water

1 3/4 cups maple syrup

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons cinnamon

Cookie Instructions

Mix ingredients in medium size bowl by hand. Spread flat on dehydrator screens, about 1/8″ thick. Dehydrate at 115 degrees for 4 hours. Make an incision with the back of a knife for six rectangles. Dehydrate another 6 hours and separate the pieces. Keep well sealed, at room temperature until ready to serve.

marshmallow crème

2 cups cashews, soaked

1 cup coconut meat

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup agave

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 small bottle Lorann Marshmallow Concentrated Oil

Instructions for Creme

Blend until smooth in Vita-Mix. Pour into plastic lined half sheet pan; refrigerate overnight or freeze if prepared 1–2 hours prior to serving.

Dark Chocolate Butter

4 cups maple syrup

2 1/2 cups cocoa powder

2 cups coconut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

Butter Instructins

Whisk all ingredients in large bowl. Blend in batches in Vita-mix. Pour into half sheet pan and store in freezer.

ASSEMBLY

2 tbs. cinnamon

Bring Crème to room temperature at least 20 minutes prior to serving. Warm chocolate and grahams slightly in dehydrator.

Lie one graham on a plate. Carefully spread a generous amount of marshmallow crème on top and pour an even more generous amount of chocolate over that, allowing it to slightly run off onto the plate. Set another graham on top, but off center, exposing the crème and chocolate. Sprinkle the plate with cinnamon powder.