Once in a while people ask me for chocolate related book titles of
various sorts. Here are some I've encountered over the years that I
recommend. Just click on 'em to go to the relevant Amazon.Com page.
- The
Ultimate Encyclopedia of Chocolate
- A lovely coffee table book
and general reference. The large format makes for easy to read type
and lovely illustrations. Included are a generous history section, a
useful techniques section, and over 200 recipes for everything from
everyday chocolate chip cookies to exotic Hot Chocolate Zabaglione.
The techniques section could stand to be less brief; it covers a wide
variety of techniques in too few pages, and is probably most appropriate
for people with at least a little bit of experience in working with
chocolate.
- Chocolate:
the Consuming Passion
- I first encountered Sandra Boynton's delightful Chocolate:
The Consuming Passion as a child. Boynton's humorous treatment
of this most beloved subject remains as entertaining now as it was 15
years ago. Two thumbs up.
- Anne
Willan's Look & Cook Chocolate Desserts
- Anne Willan has a series of Look & Cook cookbooks, but who cares
about the rest of the series when you've got this excellent chocolate
dessert cookbook on your shelf? (Or better yet, on your counter!)
Chocolate recipes are often complex, and full of subtle pitfalls for
the novice; this has easily become my favorite dessert cookbook due to
the clear breakdown of the recipes into step by step directions, and
the masterful photographs illustrating the trickier steps in each
process.
- Chocolate:
the Food of the Gods
- This book by Chantal Coady is a short but quite readable
introduction to the history of chocolate. The small page count
mandates a rather brief treatment of this length subject, but
Ms. Coady flavors the discussion with plenty of specific anecdotes
from historical writings that give the work a nice overall
credibility.
- Bittersweet
Journey
- This book's subtitle, "a moderately erotic novel of love, longing,
and chocolate," is entirely accurate. It is a beautiful book: tender,
passionate, thoroughly wonderful. Enid Futterman should be
worshipped, like unto a god. Buy it, rent it, steal it, or devour it
cover to cover standing in the bookstore, but read it.
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Amazon.Com. Enjoy.