Robin Robertson worked for many years in restaurants and catering in northeastern Pennsylvania and Charleston, South Carolina. The author of 19 vegan and vegetarian cookbooks, Robin is a 25-year veteran restaurant chef, caterer, columnist, cooking teacher, and food writer. Her most recent book is Party Vegan. I was so pleased to do this interview with Robin as she is one of my favorite vegan cookbook authors!
You have written so many wonderful cookbooks, what inspired you to write a “party” cookbook now?
I’ve wanted to write a party cookbook for a long time, and for several reasons. First, I used to be a professional caterer at an upscale Charleston, SC catering company, and I wanted to pass along some tricks of the trade to my readers to help make entertaining fun and stress-free. I also find it fun to “play with my food” — I love to garnish plates, arrange food aesthetically, and generally making a dish look attractive. There are lots of simple things you can do to make even an everyday meal feel more festive. And finally, I saw a real need for a comprehensive book on how to entertain for any occasion, from casual get-togethers, to larger parties and to provide menus and recipes that would appeal to vegans and omnivores alike.
How do the recipes in “Party Vegan” differ from those you’ve used previously?
The recipes are all parts of theme menus, and, as such, they are designed to coordinate with the other items on a particular menu. The recipes for certain holidays may be whimsically colored to fit a certain holiday — an orange and black menu for Halloween, for example. Another difference is that I made a point that all the recipes would be either easy to put together quickly or make-ahead, to help eliminate last-minute, labor-intensive cooking right before the party or dinner.
In Party Vegan, you’ve organized the book for the reader to really plan the party/celebration, does this planning and organization come from your catering background and did you use those skills for writing this book?
Definitely. As I mentioned above, my experience as a professional caterer was one of the main reasons I wanted to write this book — so I could share that experience with others. Knowing how to plan ahead and do a party “count-down” like I provide in the book can really take the stress out of entertaining. For that reason, of all the books I’ve written, this was especially fun for me.
Which re-created recipe posed the greatest challenge to re-produce with vegan ingredients? And why?
The Orange-Kissed Chocolate Tiramisu comes to mind. I wanted to recreate a texture similar to the mascarpone cheese used in traditional tiramisu. I think I came pretty close with the combination of cashew cream and vegan cream cheese I used in the recipe.
When you researched your recipes, was it from your personal catering experience, or did you have family and friends serve as a “test kitchen”?
I developed the recipes based on my catering experience, family favorites from gatherings over the years, and also particular holiday themes that I wanted to include. All of the recipes were then tested by recipe testers who made each recipe in their own home and reported back on the results.
How important is it for you to use ingredients that are accessible for all people?
It’s very important to me that the ingredients I use are accessible to everyone. If I do use any harder to find ingredients, I try to provide an alternative that I know everyone can get. I live in a rural area myself, so I know how hard it is to shop for certain things. There’s no point creating a recipe that no one can make unless they live near an international market or specialty store.
What methodology did you use to narrow the recipes chosen for “Party Vegan”, when it could have easily been a larger book like your “1,000 Vegan Recipes”?
Well, I started with a calendar and went through it to list all the major holidays or occasions where food is involved. Then I thought of other occasions where we might want to make something special, like birthday parties, having friends over for a casual game night, or maybe a special company dinner. I also wanted to include a few ethnic themed menus and suggestions for potlucks and larger gatherings such as a wedding reception. At the same time, I didn’t want the book to feel overwhelming because a big point I try to make in the book is that entertaining should be fun and stress-free.
What other type of cookbook would you like to write that you haven’t written yet?
That’s a good question. I guess my answer is that I’ll know it when the idea comes to me. That’s how it usually happens.