Cookbook Review of the Month - November 2008
This month's selection is Chocolat by Stephen Lagorce. I happened to be roaming in the bookstore in the cookbook section of course (my surprise here) when I happened to catch of glimpse of this book. The picture below doesn't do it any justice at all. The book looks like a giant chocolate bar, right down to the silver page edges. I must admit, the book caught my eye and of course I had to have it to add to my collection. The only drawback to the book is that it is a little large so you will have to place it on the top shelf of an open bookcase. Other than that, I can't find a single thing I didn't love about this book. What a clever marketing idea, and what a fabulous cookbook. If you are a confirmed chocoholic, this book is a must for you. This is more than a book of recipes, it is a tribute to chocolate. It starts off with the different types of chocolate bars, other chocolate products, how to correctly taste chocolate, how to drink chocolate, equipment needed to cook with chocolate, glosseries, technical terms, things to do with chocolate, chocolate pairings (with wine, cigars, spices, just to name a few),how cocolate is made, how to keep chocolate, and so much more, and then the incredible chocolate recipes. This will surely become one of my favorite cookbooks, a jewel in my collection.
Contents
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You could easy gain fifty pounds just reading this book, and if you start to cook and bake from it, I wouldn't even hazard a guess as to your weight gain. Again, every page will make your mouth water. The photography here is just beautiful, you will want to make every thing in the book. There were so many recipes to choose from, among them Chocolate Truffles, Chocolate Mousse, Chocolate Ice Cream, Chocolate Brownies, Chocolate Macaroons, Chocolate Waffles, Chocolate Spread, but not any of those that you have done before...think brownies on steroids! Everything looks so delicious...You MUST buy this book! |
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Sample Recipe from the book: Choc-chip cookies
I choose this recipe because even though it is "just a chocolate chip cookies recipe" they just looked so delicious, pure and unadulterated.
Choc-chip cookies
intense
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 vanilla bean
- 1 egg
- 1 cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 1/3 cups ground almonds
- 3 ounces (80 g) 70% dark chocolate
1. Leave the butter at room temperature until it softens, or put briefly in the microwave, taking care it does not melt. Put the sugar in a bowl and mix in the softened butter. Slice the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Use a knofe to scrape out the seeds into the butter-sugar mix.
2. Add the egg and mix again, fold in the flour, almonds, and a pinch of salt. Work the dough until you obtain an even consistency. Leave to rest for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees F. Grease a cookie sheet. Chop the dark chocolate into fairly uniform chips with a knife.
4. Use a spoon to drop small balls of dough about the size of a large walnut on the cookies sheet, spacing them evenly. Flatten with a fork dipped in water then sprinkle with small chocolate chips, pressing them into the dough wth the palm of your hand. Cook for 8 minutes then remove from the cookie sheet with a metal spatula and leave to cool.
Makes 15-20 cookies Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 8 minutes Resting Time: 30 minutes
Essential equipment: cookie sheet
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