Customer Reviews

Chocolate Obsession: Confections and Treats to Create and Savor

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`Chocolate Obsession' by San Francisco chocolatier, Michael Recchiuti and San Francisco Patisser and writer, Fran Gage is a book of recipes and techniques from the point of view of the very high end chocolate candy maker. It is to chocolate and Thomas Keller's `French Laundry Cookbook' is to the recipes of American `haute cuisine'. If you wish to find an introductory book on chocolate making, get a copy of the excellent book `Bittersweet' by Alice Medrich, whiich the authors cite in their bibliography and which I have reviewed and found an excellent introduction to the subject.

The book centers around the very distinctive chocolate styles of Recchiuti Chocolates, which are distinguished by, among other things, the use of a lot of flavors one does not typically find paired with chocolate such as teas, tarragon, cardamom, and especially caramal.

The one thing which makes this book accessible to the experienced chocolate maker is the fact that it deals primarily with the very simplest forms of chocolate candy such as truffles, dipped and moulded chocolates, `snacks' such as s'mores, chocolate barks, chocolate drinks, and sauces. In all this, caramel is much more than just another ingredient for Recchiuti. It appears over and over in many different forms from caramelized nuts in the `snacks' to flavorings in ice cream.

There are things in this book for the novice who has aspirations to be a skillful chocolatier. While I'm sure I probably have them in at least one of my hundreds of cookbooks, I'm pleased to find recipes for both graham crackers and marshmallow, leading to the ability to create entirely homemade s'mores. There are a few other non-chocolate recipes such as Key Lime pears and candied citrus peel, but all of these are pressed into the service of chocolate in one way or another.

In the early sections in the `All About Chocolate' and in the section `Instructions for Tempering Chocolate' I think the authors falter a bit in their explanations of how this works and why. They cite Harold McGee's `On Food and Cooking' in their bibliography but from my reading of McGee on tempering, it seems these authors didn't consult McGee as carefully as they should when explaining these basics.

Another symptom that this is really a `graduate level' course in chocolate making is the fact that there are no diagrams illuminating the techniques. This is an expecially noisome omission, as chocolate making techniques typically don't appear in the standard cooking texts such as the works of Jacques Pepin. I even got the sense that some of their statements about chocolate composition were simply wrong, although this is largely irrelevant to why you want to read this book.

If you are already an accomplished chocolate candy maker (and not just a baker who happens to use chocolate in baked desserts), this book offers a wealth of new ideas and tastes. All others should seek out a more basic book or take a good course in chocolate working.

This is one of the most wonderful books on chocolate that I have ever read and cooked with. I had the opportunity to visit Recchiuti Confections when I was in San Francisco this spring and was thrilled when I saw this book -- Michael Recchiuti sharing his secrets to chocolate making and making wonderful chocolate desserts. I have made several of the recipes already and they are all wonderful. The Gingerbread Cupcakes with a White Chocolate Lemon Topping is marvelous and the Rocky Recchiuti Brownies are the best I've ever made. This book will make your holiday baking out of this world and the book makes a terrific gift for any food lover on your shopping list.

My initial opinion of this book, prior to purchasing it, was that it would be a book of fancy chocolate confections that would be hard to make, and too extreme too enjoy; treats such as "Earl Grey Tea Ganache" and "Tarragon Ganache with Candied Fruit", as well as other eclectic sweetness. It seemed too sophisticated for my average jo palate.

But the name of Michael Recchiuti was the draw, and after flipping through this wonderful labor of love, I realized that I was a chocolate snob. Shame on me.

First of all, the physical book itself is glorious. It has been beautifully brought together with raised lettering on the cover, and the feel of those satin pages, along with clear, crisp photography that makes you anxious to get started!

Then there is the educational content. Michael is a Master Chocolatier, which is his hard-earned title and is very well-deserved. And despite the gamut of unusual and standard chocolate flavors and concoctions he has created, his way of talking to you is that of a good friend who wants to share his knowledge with you in the most earnest way possible.

He has covered everything and he does so in a encouraging and kindly fashion with one of his best sections being "Organizing Chocolate Work"; it was very much appreciated that he gave a timetable to help determine your level of expertise. You need to learn in steps and he graciously helps you climb that ladder of knowledge. Also, he adds wonderful stories and such to weave his history and love affair with that dark and tempting devil of sweetness.

This is a great teaching tool and chocolate creations book, as well as a coffee-table libre that you can peruse when you want to kick back and relax. The book consists of:

Acknowledgements

Introduction

All About Chocolate: the making of chocolate/ the new chocolates/ choosing chocolates/ organizing chocolate work/ tools and equipment/ weights and measures/ "a day at Recchiuti Confections" (his shop) which made for an interesting read and education.

Dipped Chocolates, Truffles, and Molded Chocolates: plus the great story of how his business went from 0-60 because of his talent.

Snacks: he includes how he was introduced to Paris society by way of chocolate

Chocolate Barks: this has the explanation of how he came about having his recipes tested to make sure that anyone could make them. (must of had me in mind with this one)

Chocolate Drinks

Sauces: with a side story of his journey to the farms for lavender and lemon verbena)

Ice Creams

A Chocolate Tasting Party (this was a blast; who knew?)

Glossary

Resources

Bibilography

Conversion Chart

Index

Enjoy the experience of this artform!! You will be quite pleased with this very creative and deliciously edible talent.

This is not the book for you if you're impatient with precision and specifics; if you want good results, you'll do what Michael Recchiuti tells you to do. You'll buy the higher-butterfat butter, you'll use the Scharffen-Berger or Valrhona and chuck the Hershey's, and you'll be so glad you did, because every recipe --and I mean every single one of the seven or eight recipes I have tried from this book thus far-- has been fantastic.

I would not call this a good beginner's cookbook, though the photography is gorgeous enough to qualify this as a coffee table book even for those who don't want to get in the kitchen. Some baking experience is helpful, as is a well-equipped kitchen (stand-mixer, immersion blender, heavy-bottomed pots for sauces etc). This is an outstanding book and I highly recommend it.

Contents of book: About 25 chocolate candy recipes (1/2 the book), Snacks (brownies, cookies, cupcakes, souflees), chocolate drinks, and ice creams.

The best part of this book is that Recchiuti gives you the recipes of the real chocolates that he sells on his website and stores. Tea, Burnt Caramel, tarragon/grapefruit, cardamonom, malt with honeycomb, fleur de sel, rose caramel, kona, ginger, and so on - they are all there. Given that Recchiuti is known as one of the top chocolatiers in the country, this is really incredible. If you are a serious chocolate candy maker, this book is a must-have.

The difficulty level of this book is hard for chocolates, easy for other parts. Most of the chocolate recipes use invert sugar (not a common ingredient). Some of the spices are specialized (verbena, or rose water). Molding technique is obviously difficult. On the other hand, the other sections are at a much lower level of difficulty.

This book is not heavy on technique pictures or descriptions of techniques. You almost have to know the techniques before you do them.


If you are looking for chocolate techniques, "chocolate confections" by Greweling is a better book, as is "Making Artisan Chocolates" by Shotts.
To me, this is more of a ganache recipe book.


For me, the bottom line is that Recchiuti shares his recipes for his *entire line* of top end chocolates. He's giving away all his trade secrets in this book. You gotta have it for that reason.

Chocolate Obsession has started my new career. I am a trained chef and this book has put me over the moon about making chocolates. I now have a side business selling truffles. The unique combinations have spurred my creativity to develop my own flavors that sell in the area that I live. I consistently refer back to Michaels book for the "basics", which I feel he does a fine job of detailing. The fleur de Sel Caramel is awsome. It barely gets out of my kitchen. Yes this book is not always for the novice, however, with patience and the internet to help one look up additonal information it can be a valuable resource.
My book is worn and much loved. I now order my chocolate from a wholesaler 100 pounds at a time and sell my chocolates for $1.65 each, thanks to this book!

If you love chocolate and want to make your own truffles, get this book (and The Art of Chocolate by Elaine Gonzales)!!! These are the only 2 books you'll ever need. This book has lots of great recipes and some interesting stories. I especially like the "organizing chocolate work" on page 18-19 as the author suggest different schedules depending on the reader's expertise and ambition, as many of us may be overwhelm by all kinds of interesting recipes (especially if you're new to chocolate making). I've tried the ginger ganache but alter it a little to suit the recipe from the Art of Chocolate, and it turn out great! I can't wait to get a copy for myself, because I currently borrow it from the library and there's already 2 other patrons request for holds! By the way, the other thing I love about this book is that the author doesn't waste time in talking about a whole bunch of ingredients like in many other books, which I find it annoying! Instead there's a page on how to chose the chocolate, 2 pages on tools and equipment which is useful if you plan on making the chocolate, and at the end of the book there's a whole list of resources where you can get some of the stuff ----- short and straight to the point. I just can't wait to have the time to make more stuff from this book! Thank you so much for writing this book!! Hope I'll get to visit Recchiuti Confections someday!

I always wanted to make some kind if chocolates and this is the book that inspired me! His directions connected with me instantly. Giving me the confidence I needed. The tarragon with candied grapefruit was my first attempt. And they came out exquisit. Lemon verbena and the anise with pink peppercorn were also got rave reviews. The tahitan marshmallows were also a first. Wonderful just wonderful! The malt ice cream ,roasted banana ice cream. And i can go on and on. I'm a middle aged guy who likes to cook and bake and now i do chocolates. Get the book, you'll be very happy you did.

I love the simplicity of this book's recipes, and the room they leave for experimentation. There are many kinds of desserts and several kinds of chocolate included in the collection, creating a well-rounded reference for readers. I've made a few of his recipes and they've come out well each time. See them here: [...]. All in all, a great purchase.

Authors Michael Recchiuti and Fran Gage inspire choco-centric connoisseurs to break out their cocoa powder and powdered sugar to whip up a simply decadent delight, in their most recent book Chocolate Obsession. While the chefs never describe their work as being "easy," the facility with which they describe the baking process makes you wonder if anything in the kitchen for them is every hard to create.

While the thought of mixing tarragon with grapefruit, tea-flavored ganache and chocolate shortbread might send some at-home chefs away from their kitchens and to the local bakery, Recchiuti confidently barrels through the steps. Maren Caruso's adept photography makes the chef's creations appear to be true chocolate marvels rather than edible mixtures.

In fact, Recchiuti has gained notable recognition as an experienced gourmet chef from his San Franciso-based chocolate business, which he opened nearly a decade ago. Prior to his move out West, Recchiuti had been a force on the Philadelphia restaurant scene for over a decade. In fact, Recchiuti was revered so highly in the chocolate world that he now has the honor or being the only American ever invited to share his chocolates with the world-renowned chocolate society of Le Club du Chocolat au Palais.

Recchiuti's cohort, Fran Gage, is also a San Fran favorite who has achieved widespread popularity from her award-winning bakery Fran Gage Patisserie Francaise. The French-connection not only helped nab Gage a prime seat in the chocolate-lovers' hearts, but Gage also landed a high-exposure position as a food sage in the San Francisco Chronicle, Saveur and Fine Cooking. Chocolate Obsession is Gage's third beauty, preceded by popular titles Bread and Chocolate and A Sweet Quartet.

Critics believe that the widespread success of Chocolate Obsession could have more to do with the scientific approach that the pair take when spreading the word about how to build one-of-a-kind masterpieces. Like all great scientific phenomenon, the duo believe that the best cuisine caches are build when the chefs "respect" the chocolate by letting it take it's own time.

The 200 page, elaborately photographed work contains over 6 recipes for items such as Truffle Cream Filling, Double Darks Chocolate Souffls and Rocky Recchiuti Brownies. Now those are some dessert titles to make your mouth water and your eyes widen! By the end of the book, your taste buds will have a refined sense as they will be able to pick out the minute details that the authors explain and identify throughout the book.

No matter what your chocolate experience is, this book is sure to make you want to invest in a larger kitchen and finer tools. The well-planned recipes will help you believe that the chefs actually know what it's like to be in your amateur shoes ("Does the powdered sugar really need sifting?) If you are not daring enough to undertake the dark sensation for an evening or two of experimentation, then keep in mind that Chocolate Obsession makes a powerful gift for just about anyone with taste.

Chocolate Zoom Magazine
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