Author Statement: Julie Hasson
Audience: Trade
Specs: 16 pages of color photographs, index
Pages: 192
Trim Size: 7" x 10"
Language code 1: eng
Publication Date: 20040904
Copyright Year: 2004
125 Best Chocolate Recipes
Chocolate really is the world's perfect food.
Rich, smooth and complex, there are few foods that people feel as passionate about as chocolate. So it comes as no surprise that chocolate is the world's favorite baking ingredient.
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.
| Bio: | Julie Hasson is a pastry chef, caterer and recipe developer. Her articles and recipes have appeared in Cooking Light, Bon Appetit and Vegetarian Times magazines. Visit her web site: www.juliehasson.com. |
| Preface: | IntroductionI adore chocolate in any shape or form. I quiver whether it's bittersweet, semisweet, milk or white. I love them all. One day while contemplating the wonderful virtues of chocolate, my publisher approached me with the idea of writing a chocolate cookbook. I thought, "What a timely idea." I have mountains of it in my kitchen and I bake with it almost daily. To be honest, I wouldn't dream of showing up to a meeting or dinner party without some chocolate goodie in hand. The chocolate topic was kismet. Before I could say yes, my imagination was already off concocting recipes. Then, just when you think that everything is in balance, life throws you a curveball -- a high-arcing, twisted, yet comical curveball that isn't made of chocolate. Life can be very funny at times. While writing this book, I survived a major move, the untimely death of my oven and a complete kitchen remodeling. Each incident contained enough material to complete a novel on the perils of moving while writing a cookbook. The book could have been titled It's Impossible to Develop Recipes without a Functioning Oven. The first chapter took me on a journey to "borrow" an oven (and a kitchen) from one of my relatives. It sounded plausible in theory, with feel-good intentions and possible happy endings. But nooooo! I had to learn a valuable lesson on character building. My innocence led me to believe that most people who bake on a somewhat regular basis have calibrated ovens. Not a single oven that I "borrowed" was accurate -- one was as much as 130 degrees off. Well, after lugging a hundred pounds of equipment and materials from place to place, and losing at least a week of precious time, an idea was hatched. Why not temporarily hook up our new Viking range in our half-demolished kitchen so that I could finish the book on time? Without further ado, my husband took out a sledgehammer and, like magic, countertops and cabinets went flying into a heap of rubble. The result was an awkward, dysfunctional space in which I could work with one sink, one dishwasher and a sliver of counter space. I could see light out of the darkness, for there sat my salvation, my dreamy six-burner double Viking oven. Looking out of place in our jury-rigged kitchen, it was the most welcoming sight that ever beckoned me. We connected the gas line and inserted the electrical plug; our hearts were pounding, the tensions were mounting. As we turned the knob to "ignition" and heard the sounds "click-click-click, POOF wooshssssss," I was in heaven! It was working! I finally had a fantastic, fully functional oven. The next day the gas company came to light our furnace and calibrate our beautiful new stove. "The left-side oven is 10 degrees off, and the right side cycles itself on and off within a variation of 100 degrees," proclaimed the gas man. Arrrgh! What the oven disaster really brought to my attention is the importance of baking in a calibrated oven. This is key because if a recipe says to bake a cake at 350°F (180°C), and your oven is 100 degrees off, your cake will not bake correctly For the greatest success in the kitchen, have your oven calibrated regularly You'll be happy you did. Unshaken and more determined by my oven fiascoes, my love of chocolate is stronger than ever. I bring chocolate desserts with me wherever I go, made with the confidence that whatever I bake, they're done in a calibrated oven. -- Julie Hasson |
| TOC: | Introduction
Muffins, Breads and Scones
Cakes
Cookies and Bars
Pies and Tarts
Frozen Desserts
Sauces
Candies and Other Treats
Beverages
Puddings
Sources |
