Chocolate Passion: Recipes and Inspiration from the Kitchens of Chocolatier Magazine

To the growing cadre of books about chocolate, add Tish Boyle and Tim Moriarty's Chocolate Passion. For it, the authors, both editors at Chocolatier and Pastry Arts and Design magazines, have collected more than 50 recipes celebrating chocolate--the world's favorite flavor, as they dub it. These include formulas for cakes, cookies, mousses, tarts, and candies. If most of the recipes involve multiple preparations, a sufficient number are simple enough to appeal to everyday cooks, and readers with any interest in the subject should enjoy the book's exploration of chocolate history and lore.

Beginning with this investigation, the book then presents information on chocolate making; ingredient, equipment, and technique definitions; tempering instructions; and other chocolate working material. The recipes, organized by chocolate type--white, milk, and dark--follow, most illustrated with color photos; included also are comprehensive notes on chocolate and other suppliers. If the recipe organization is puzzling (few would choose a chocolate recipe based on the type of chocolate it contains) and the writing often infelicitous ("Milk chocolate, America's favorite chocolate delivery system..." is an instance), the recipes are tempting and clearly presented. Among these, Chocolate Hazelnut Brownies with Milk Chocolate Frosting and Black Satin Chocolate Raspberry Cake, for example, have instant appeal. White-chocolate lovers will be happy to explore an extensive chapter devoted to the likes of White Chocolate Strawberry Mousse Cake; ambitious cooks will want to try their hand at the Gianduja Marjolaine, a chewy meringue and chocolate mousse cake layered with mocha buttercream and topped with ganache, among other full-dress recipes. In the end, the power of chocolate is such that, once under its spell, nothing will do but to have some. The book provides numerous delightful ways to make that happen. --Arthur Boehm