Customer Reviews

Chocolate and the Art of Low-Fat Desserts

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I can't call myself an expert in any area of the kitchen -- you know, just the Home Ec 101 type. This book was a revelation for me. I have actually made the Simple Chocolate Cake with Dark Chocolate Glaze, Rice Pudding and Lemon-Marbled Cheesecake, all from scratch! It wasn't nearly as hard as I'd thought. And nobody guessed that any of it was low-fat. Although I rarely take the time to write reviews, this kind of unqualified success deserves recognition. If you have always been intimidated by "gourmet" recipes, and if you want to have your lowfat cake and eat it, too-- this book is a must!

My brother lost my copy, and I am so aggravated! The recipes in this book were (except for one mistake in the lemon squares; leave the flour OUT of the lemon filling folks, and either halve the crust recipe or double the filling recipe. Do that and they are great) The beauty of these recipes is that they work so well without cream. One of the dirty secrets about restaurants is how much cream and butter they use; they do it because IT INCREASES SHELF LIFE. If a dessert is made of cream, it will keep for a good while. Alice M. is careful (bless her!) to note how long a dessert will last, frozen or refrigerated or in a cookie can. If you are going to make a dessert, you seldom keep it for the lengthy time most restaurants do. A mousse made with egg white is not only better for you, but you will notice (next time you eat a cream-filled mousse) the fuller chocolate flavor. Cream crowds the delicate chocolate taste right off your tongue. You may not be able to keep Alice's lemon curd more than a few days, but it is so good it won't last that long anyway. Now I'm going to go over to his house and turn it over and shake it until I find my copy again.

For a person like me who loves fabulous, rich desserts but yet is trying to fight the battle of the bulge, Chocolate and the Art of Low-Fat Desserts, by Alice Medrich, is truly a godsend. When I was in college at Berkeley and weighing-in at a scant 118 pounds, Alice Medrich's Cocolat bakery on Shattuck Ave. was a frequent indulgence. I adored her sinfully delicious capuccino truffles and could down several in a sitting. After graduating from college and moving to San Diego, away from the land of Cocolat, I was ecstatic when Alice published her first book, Cocolat, as I found I could easily replicate her delicious and stunning creations at home on a weekend afternoon. Unfortunately, time, age and a sedentary lifestyle no longer permitted me to indulge in the heavy cream and chocolate-laden desserts. Cocolat was permanently shelved and titles bearing the words "spa cuisine" became ever-frequent additions to my cookbook library. I tried and tried to find satisfaction in fruit sorbets and poached pears but failed miserably. There was just no substitution for the desserts I loved. Two years ago, I was combing the cookbook shelves of my local bookstore and was both shocked and delighted to find that Alice Medrich had written a low-fat chocolate cookbook. Although I had high hopes that this could be the answer to my prayers, I could not bring myself to believe that her prized desserts could possibly be transformed into low-fat versions. I rushed home and cooked-up a batch of "Michael's Brownies" (a recipe Alice came up with as a birthday cake for a hospitalized child whose liver ailment prevented him from eating fat) and shared them with my husband, a devoted chocoholic and low-fat skeptic. Much to our amazement, they were the best brownies we had ever eaten. All of the recipes in Chocolate and the Art of Low-Fat Desserts have been consistently delicious and relatively easy to prepare. We recently brought the Chocolate Pound Cake to a party. One of our friends said it was "orgasmic," and all refused to believe it was low-fat. Our personal favorite is the Bittersweet Chocolate Truffle Mousse, which is heavenly rich and silky. As a cookbook aficionado, Chocolate and the Art of Low-Fat Desserts is the best cookbook I have ever owned. I am deeply indebted to Alice Medrich for her efforts in making wonderful desserts accessible to those of us who can no longer afford the higher-fat versions.

I bought this book recently and was initially a little daunted because everything in it look so very gourmet -- it was intimidating to a novice baker. After my first attempt I very was pleasantly surprised -- the recipes are much easier to make than the finished product would have you believe. Chocolate Decadence, what I made, turned out to be absolutely amazing! It has the taste and texture of something rich and sinful you would get in a upscale restaurant, but in fact, it has very little fat and was a ton of fun to make. I definitely plan on trying more of these recipes -- this book is health conscientious, fun, and yummy!

I have made several of the recipes, and they range from excellent to just stunning. Her chocolate decadence has all the rich chocolate taste any lover of dark chocolate could ask for, and it has one fourth the fat of the standard chocolate decadence. You never feel as if you are giving anything up. I am not a chef, but the recipes worked fine for me. A beautiful book, well-suited for gifting. Everyone I've shown it to (or fed from it) says "I've got to get that book!"

I have yet to make something in this book that isn't delicious. So far, I've made the marble cake, brownies, tiramisu, chocolate chip biscotti (mmm, tasted just like a real cookie!), and chocolate souffle torte. Everything is easy, clearly explained, and RICH. Like another reviewer said, these are great recipes that happen to be low-fat. And there's no gimmicks, like "Oh, just substitute half the fat with apple sauce." Medrich teaches you how to maximize the flavor of your full-fat ingredients so you use less but taste more. I am so sad this book is no longer in print. If I lost my copy, I would die!

BTW, everyone thinks I'm a kitchen god. It's not me; it's the book!

I bought this cookbook for the brownie recipe - incredible and low fat. Alice Medrich has brought a great sensibility to low-fat baking. She bases her recipes on natural qualty ingredients for maximum flavor. You don't feel like you're giving up a thing when enjoying one of her low-fat desserts. People are usually very surprised that they're eating a low-fat dessert. Her cheesecake recipe is wonderful!

Clearly Ms Medrich has turned creating low fat, high flavor desserts into an art form! Many low fat recipes taste low fat, but not the ones in this book. It is comprehensive and included is everything from easy cookie recipes to stunning dressy desserts. Make sure to try Michael's Brownies, they are simply addictive!

The book is visually stunning, and also includes detailed information on ingredients and techniques which makes this into a real cooking reference. The book is well researched and one of my favorite subject books.

I have never posted a review on the internet before, but I believe Alice Medrich deserves a big pat on the back for this amazing book! I have several low fat cookbooks, and all seem to avoid the subject of chocolate, except for the occasional mediocre brownie. The recipes in this book are spectacular, and you would never guess they are lower in fat. Kudos!

This book is excellent and dispells the myth that lowfat is boring and not tasteful. The recipes in this book are actually better than some "full-fat" recipes I've tasted. A very practical approach to reducing the fat without reducing the flavor. Start with the "Chocolate Pound Cake" and work your way up to some of the more involved recipes... although the ones I've tried so far are not difficult. I brought some of the results of her recipes in to my co-workers, and they were amazed. A highly-recommended choice.