A history of chocolate in Seattle predated the opening of Fran's some 20 years ago. But Fran Bigelow single-handedly altered the entire landscape. She had meant to open a pastry shop and discovered that truffles were among the deep dark concerns of Seattle residents. Her Gold Bar became a gold standard for adult candy bars, in Seattle and then across the nation. Fran Bigelow would never claim the renown she so deserves, but would instead most likely spread the credit around like a chocolate butter glaze on one of her earth shattering cakes. But the proof is in the pudding and the pudding--called Princess Pudding--can be found on page 140 of Pure Chocolate, Fran Bigleow's distillation of all she knows. She holds nothing back. She shares freely, confidently. "If you are patient and understand its unique properties," Bigelow says in her introduction, Everything You Need to Know About Chocolate, "chocolate will repay you with the most perfect pleasure." Can you imagine? Perfect pleasure? Bigelow unlocks the secrets, one after another. She cautions all along, however, that patience is essential. "If you're one of those folks who thinks life is too short to stuff cherry tomatoes," Bigelow intones, "you may not have the patience for tempering chocolate." She establishes up front the basic rules of working with chocolate, then proceeds to act like best friend and coach in each and every recipe. The experienced baker and chocolatier may jump right in. For the new comer, Fran suggests those recipes that are easiest to master and act as building blocks for more complex procedures. Your results, in other words, are guaranteed.
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Amid the seuctive and innivative recipes are stories about the history and myths of chocolate, as well as tips for handling and cooking.
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Calling all chocoholics! With 150 recipes for cakes, cookies, cupcakes, pies, tarts, breads, beverages, and frostings, Good Housekeeping has created the chocolate lover's dream collection. Who better than the chefs in Good Housekeeping's kitchens to satisfy even the most insatiable chocolate craving? Just looking at the delectable color photographs and scanning the recipe names of these 150 triple-tested sweet sensations will make the mouth water. Imagine the rich, scrumptious taste of Sacher Torte, Almond Cheesecake Brownies, decadent Mississippi Mud Bars, or sinful Classic Devil's Food Cake. With Good Housekeeping's help, anyone can make them successfully. As always with the magazine's cookbooks, the directions are beautifully laid out, easy to follow, and designed to help the home cook get great results every time. An introduction discusses general baking techniques, while each chapter features a short primer that focuses on more specific skills related to the subject. There's even detailed advice on adding festive finishing touches, such as chocolate leaves, curls, and ruffles, as well as dozens of other invaluable tips from the test kitchen.
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In 125 Best Chocolate Recipes, baker and chocolate lover Julie Hasson brings together the love of chocolate with superb recipes ranging from traditional to sophisticated: - Chocolate Espresso Cake - Chocolate Devils (mini cakes filled with a fluffy vanilla filling and topped with a decadent chocolate glaze) - Chocolate Macaroon Bars - White Chocolate Key Lime Pie - Chocolate Dipped Fruit Skewers - Baklava with Walnuts, Chocolate and Honey Syrup.
These recipes are easy-to-follow and work to perfection every time. There are also baking tips and techniques as well as recommended tools and equipment. Practical information is provided on all the different types of chocolate from store-bought milk and dark chocolate to Italian-made Amedei Procelana... the world's most expensive chocolate at $90 a pound.
So whether you are a chocolate fanatic or simply love to cook and bake with chocolate, this cookbook is sure to become a favorite.
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From the creators of Chocolate Bar, New York City's candy store for grown-ups, comes CHOCOLATE BAR--a delicious ode to the sweet that entrances so many, with more than 30 recipes from such stellar chocolatiers as Jacques Torres and Andrew Shotts. These range from classic cookies, brownies, and retro desserts to such renegade treats as White Chocolate Lemon Cream, Spiced Meatballs. . . even a chocolate body scrub! Co-founders Lewis and Nelson espouse a stylish philosophy of fun and enjoyment, with the focus on baking, drinking, dining, and entertaining with chocolate. They also explain how to educate one's chocolate palate by exploring products with various cacao percentages, origins, textures, aromas, and tastes. Readers will learn how to throw a chocolate tasting party, a swank chocolate martini soiree, a ski lodge get-together complete with chocolate fondue and hot toddies, or a celebration of childhood choco-centric memories, with the emphasis on sundaes, fudges, ice creams, and other nostalgic indulgences. Using Chocolate Bar's own unique entertaining and party ideas, they explain why chocolate is appropriate--indeed, necessary--for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
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Early on in her celebratory recipe collection, Brody (Growing Up on a Chocolate Diet) addresses the difficulty of cooking with chocolate and explains the tools and procedures necessary for success when attempting her recipes. No chocolate snob, the author favors quality ingredients but minimal fuss for her desserts. Her credo is "Lemme at it" instead of "It's much too pretty to cut." Brody's first chapter lays out the differences among unsweetened, bittersweet and semi-sweet; simplifies a method of chocolate preparation called tempering; and distinguishes between "natural" cocoa powder and "Dutch process" cocoa. Brody's attention to detail makes a few of her recipes longer than usual. Later chapters deal with candy making, holiday baked goods and introducing kids to cooking with chocolate projects. Brody believes Americans "boldly weave what we learn from the world's greatest cooks with our own dining experiences to produce singular expressions of our chocolate love," and supports her point in nearly 120 recipes. There are clever cake and pie makeovers, in which she "Americanizes" international favorites like biscotti, chow mein noodles and Linzer Torte with chocolate. Brody's democratic approach embraces the plain (e.g., Coke Cake and Chocolate-Covered Cape Cod Potato Chips), the luxe (e.g., White Chocolate-Coconut Milk Crème Brulee) and the downright odd (e.g., Chocolate Chile Cake). Her can-do writing style invites novices to give all these desserts a go and should appeal to home chefs with a sweet tooth and average culinary skills.
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