Chocolate French: Recipes, Language, and Directions to Francais au Chocolat [Paperback]

A. K. Crump (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 18, 2003

Enjoy the best of both worlds with this Chocolate Lover's Guide to French. CHOCOLATE FRENCH takes you on a culinary exploration of the intimate relationship between international French culture and global chocolate cuisine. With Foreword by Bernard Poussin of historic Paris chocolatier Debauve & Gallais, and topics ranging from songs by Trenet, stories by Proust, and fashion by Rykiel, to recipes from exotic locales such as Paris, San Francisco, New Orleans, Chicago, Brisbane, and New York, CHOCOLATE FRENCH introduces you to an entirely new language of taste. Features mouth-watering chocolate dishes from top chefs & chocolatiers, including: Absinthe Brasserie/SAN FRANCISCO • Bouchon/NAPA VALLEY • Broussard’s Restaurant/NEW ORLEANS • Bruno’s Table - Bistro Bruno/AUSTRALIA • Cafe Andree/SAN FRANCISCO • Cafe de la Presse/SAN FRANCISCO • Cafe Matou/CHICAGO • Carlos’/HIGHLAND PARK • Citronelle/SANTA BARBARA • COPIA: The American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts/NAPA VALLEY • Le Cordon Bleu/PARIS • French Pastry School/CHICAGO • Chef John Lehmann/SWITZERLAND • Chocolatier Jean-Paul Hévin/PARIS • The Left Bank/LARKSPUR • Louisiana School of Cooking/LAFAYETTE • La Note Restaurant Provençal/BERKELEY • Olde Victorian Inn/NEW ORLEANS • Patisserie Kubler/STRASBOURG • Promenades Gourmandes/PARIS • Restaurant Jean-Louis/GREENWICH • Restaurant Lulu/SAN FRANCISCO • Valencia Chocolates/NEW YORK • Le Zinc/SAN FRANCISCO • Zoe Bistro/NEW ORLEANS • Lycée Français la Pérouse/SAN FRANCISCO • Frenchparents.org • The Alliance Française • Author Monique Y. Wells

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...SWEET!" -- Mark Braun, Food Industry News, Dec. 2003

Mouth watering... Photos, recipes, stories, insights clamor for attention in this tasty nugget of a book. -- Myrna Katz Frommer and Harvey Frommer, Travel-Watch, Nov. 2003

Packed with grand tidbits of history, as well as lots of sources to feed your need for this decadent sweet. -- CeCe Sullivan, Seattle Times, December 2003

This book, with its mix of chocolate history, recipes and passages about chocolate in French, gratified both of my addictions. -- Debra F. Weber, www.frenchfood.about.com, Nov. 2003

From the Publisher

CHOCOLATE FRENCH is essentially a stylish and modern 'Chocolate Lover's Guide to French.' This is the kind of guide that you take with you to the kitchen, the restaurant, and on a trip. The recipes range from simple and delicious (chocolate madeleines, crepes, and creme brulee) to elaborate yet doable. CHOCOLATE FRENCH has contributions from some of the world's top chefs and chocolate makers, and these recipes are their secret chocolate favorites. It's hard to top a Foreword by Paris's oldest chocolate maker, 200 year-old Debauve & Gallais, or a recipe from one of France's best celebrity chocolatiers, Jean-Paul Hévin. Not to mention all those great international chefs involved. Plus, while you're looking for what to make tonight, you'll pick up some great anecdotes and useful information about French language and culture along the way to your ultimate chocolate reward.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: TCB Cafe Publishing (September 18, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0967489849
• ISBN-13: 978-0967489841
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,310,725 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Merci beaucoup!!, June 24, 2007

By 

Toni "the bookworm" (Chicago, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Chocolate French: Recipes, Language, and Directions to Français au Chocolat (Paperback)

MERCI BEAUCOUP to all the reviewers and to the two magazine reviews that highly recommended this wonderful book!! I have been so enchanted with everything about it, albeit that being a Francophile hasn't hurt. It had been one of the recommendations from Amazon, and after being intrigued by a little peek into its content, the reviewers made my decision easy. Voila......how much fun it is!

It's not a large book, almost pocket size in fact. And it's not a recipe-only book either, though it has enough recipes within to add to the already interesting musings of the relationship between the French and chocolate.

Photographs of French life, French patisseries and chocolatiers, along with the written musings (both in French with most given their English translation) of those who have gone before, or who are here now, dot the chapters of this incredible guide to all that is worthy of French chocolate. And lest you not be particularly proficient in French, there are various pages of assistance with understanding French accent marks, and, adverbs of quantity (though, is there such an error as wanting too much chocolate?). There is also a lovely section within the end of the book that gives you an English translation of the French vocabulary of ingredients, expressions, verbs, and general chocolate terms. Recipe contributors, recipe ingredient resources (from all over the world) help to round out your veritable tour of the chocolate delights of France.

As you begin your perusing of this guide, you are given hotels, bistros, and other assorted places that serve various chocolate delights. An interesting aspect of these mentions, is that they include places other than France, that pay homage to chocolate, such a Switzerland and the creations made there, or Chicago, and its shops and schools devoted to the art of being a chocolatier, as well as San Francisco, New Orleans, Louisiana, Connecticut, and Tokyo to name a few.

The sections of this book are divided into:

Recipe Index

Foreward

Introduction

History of France and Chocolate

Recipes

Vocabulary

Resources

The book also goes into how chocolate has tranferred itself into movies such as "Chocolate" starring Julia Ormand and Johnny Depp. Or how it has made its way into the fashion industry.........ever seen a chocolate dress?

A chocolate dress you say? Well, they may not give you the recipe for that, but they will give you the following jewels:

Chocolate Ganache

Pralines

Chocolate Sauce

Chocolate Tartlet with Coffee Cream

Warm Chocolate Puddings with Pistachio Cream and Pears

Chocolate Croissant Pudding w/ Toffee Sauce, Strawberries, and Pecans

Chocolate Fondant w/ Orange Confit and Raspberry Sauce

Marquise au Chocolate

Chocolate Mousse Charlotte

Chocolate Red Wine Soup with Strawberries

Buchon Chocolate Tart

Warm Chocolate Cake with Vanilla

Chocolate Bing Cherry Cake

Mexican Chocoalte Truffle Torte

Chocolate Macaroon a l'Ancienne

Dipped Camembert and Chocolate Sandwich

Grandmother's Chocolate Mousse

Chanel's Crepes

Chocolate and Vanilla Madeleines

Chocolate Chip Madeleines

Monique's Chocolate Brique

Red Fruit, Chocolate and Vanilla Clafoutis

Chocolate Sorbet

Lamb with Dark Chocolate Sauce

Chocolate Mousse

Chocolate Pave

Bittersweet Chocolate Decadence

Warm Chocolate Cake w/ Chantilly Creme and Raspberry Sauce

Phyllo Cups w/ Chocolate Mousse, Raspberries, and Poached Pears

Banana Pearl

Pink Poodle

Miss Celle's Bananas Foster avec Chocolat

Chocolate Espresso Souffle

Chocolate Pava

White Chocolate Bread Pudding w/ White Chocolate Kahlua Sauce

Chocolat Chaud w/ Creamy Melted Bars of Dark Chocolate

Chocolate French Toast

Pear and Chocolate Tart

Petits Pots au Chocolat

Creme Brulee au Chocolat

Pate a Choux

Profiteroles

Eclairs

Pate Brisee

Chocossisson-Chocolate Sausage

Piedmontese Truffles

Swiss Dreams

Couscous Sucre w/ Honey, Raisins, and Cacao

Creole Hot Chocolate

Banana and Chocolate Tart

Chocolate Quad

I would also like to mention The "L'alliance Francaise" which is given quite a good mention in the "Let Them Eat Chocolate" section of this book. L'alliance Francaise is a organization that Francophiles can join that celebrates the exquisite culture of France by giving French language classes, tours, festival, cooking classes, etc. with chapters located all over the United States as well as other places in our world. This particular section was written by one of the instructors at the Alliance in Connecticut. For me, this information alone was worth the price of the book.

OK then............see what everyone was talking about? Wonderful, isn't it? As I said previously, this is not a recipe book of sorts, but a multifaceted journey into all that weaves itself into the affair of France and sinful, decadent, addictive chocolate.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For dedicated chocolate lovers everywhere!, November 15, 2003

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chocolate French: Recipes, Language, and Directions to Francais au Chocolat (Paperback)

French chocolate is very special in the world of chocolate enthusiasts. Now famous chefs specializing in French and ranging from Belgium, Switzerland, and Australia, to Quebec, Martinique, and Paris, offer fifty recipes dedicated to the use and utilization of French chocolate. From Chocolate Tartlet with Coffee Cream; Chocolate Mousse Charlotte; Bouchon Chocolate Tart; and Lamb with Dark Chocolate Sauce; to White Chocolate Bread Pudding with White Chocolate Kahlua Sauce; Chocolat Chaud with Creamy Melted Bars of Dark Chocolate; Chocolate French Toast; and Couscous Sucre with Honey, Raisins and Cacao, Chocolate French is an elegant and highly recommended addition to the cookbook collections of dedicated chocolate lovers everywhere!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A chocolate adventure, November 17, 2003

By 

"rbgmail" (San Francisco, Ca USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chocolate French: Recipes, Language, and Directions to Francais au Chocolat (Paperback)

I received this book as a gift and was very pleasantly surprised with the book. I loved how the author weaved the culture and history of chocolate of the French with some amazing recipes from around the world. I also enjoyed the vocabulary, which has allowed me to impress my friends with my new knowledge of the nuances of chocolate. If you know someone who is a chocolate fan, this book is for him or her.