Customer Reviews

The Golden Book of Chocolate: Over 300 Great Recipes

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I flipped through this book for quite a while before I finally decided I had to have it. I'm a pastry chef and probably own 50+ chocolate specialty books -- I am now a proud owner of this one as well. The book just looks cool. I'll admit, I was suckered into it just because of the shiny gold cover. Each page edge is coated in a gold leaf that just makes the book feel rich. The recipes are all accompanied by full color photos, which is so important. I am always more tempted to cook things if I can see a photo first.

And the other thing I love is that most of the recipes utilize typical household ingredients that you should have in your pantry. Of course there are a few specialty ingredients here and there, but it's not like you'll be spending loads of money on ingredients to cook these recipes.

The book is very clearly organized into categories, consisting of Cookies, Bars & Brownies, Muffins & Cupcakes, pastries, elegant desserts, Pies & Tarts, Puddings & Creams, Tea & Coffee Cakes, Layer Cakes, Candy, Savory Dishes, Drinks, and Basic Recipes.

I would definitely recommend this to the chocoholic in your life, or dessert addict. I've already cooked quite a few of the recipes and have a bunch more bookmarked for future dates. Happy Baking!

A gold-wrapped tome with heavy gilt-edged pages and luscious full-page color photos of each easy-to-read recipe, from Honey Walnut Brownies to Chocolate and Sour Cherry Crepes, this is a chocoholic's indulgence.

Organized traditionally - Cookies, Bars and Brownies, Puddings and Creams, Elegant Desserts, Candy, Layer Cakes, etc. - recipes are ranked by level of difficulty, with preparation and cooking times listed separately. A Savory chapter includes Mole, of course, but also Shrimp with Chocolate Sauce and Chocolate Fettuccine. I'll stick with the Chocolate Praline Tarts or the Cassis Truffles or the Rummy Mud Pudding.

The book begins with a chapter on chocolate history and concludes with a Basics chapter - Ganache, Sauces, Sponge, etc. It's comprehensive and clear and comes with a place-marker ribbon. But cooks are not going to want to get this exquisite volume smeared with chocolate. No matter, feasting the eyes is easier on the waistline.

I wasn't impressed with this book at all - it promises much, much more than it delivers. The recipes were nothing special, the photos were just okay, and the format for the directions was absolutely terrible, ie, there was no format, just sentences running together. Way overrated.

I am a pastry chef and was thrilled when I got this book for a gift. I have tried several recipes and each one was severely flawed!!! The chocolate eclair recipe was my first. There are many things wrong with this recipe, the pastry cream recipe is incorrect, missing important details in the instructions. Pastry cream must be brought to a high enough temperature to thicken, the recipe only says to simmer for 2 minutes. This omission is detrimental to the recipe. There are flat out instructions missing in many of the recipes, steps left out and often inappropriate amounts for the ingredients. After many attempts and many dollars wasted on ingredients....THIS BOOK IS GOING IN THE TRASH!!! Save yourself the frustration and do not buy this!!!

This is not a chocolate cookbook for ultra snobs. This is not a cookbook like Chocolate Obsession or by someone who cooks at The French Laundry. Most of these recipes are easy and have ingredients that are already in the cupboard. I have a lot of chocolate cookbooks that I seldom use, but this has recipes for day to day. Recommended.

If you love chocolate like I love chocolate, you are in for a BIG treat. This book is delicious from cover to cover and a must for all chocaholics. I love this 'golden' series with its sumptuous golden slip cover and page ends - it makes you feel like a millionaire. The chocolate millefeuille are scrumptious, choc nut cupcakes to die for, my next make might be Irish cream cake. Whether you like your chocolate to drink, indulge or wallow in, there is enough here to keep you going forever and a day. I like choc marquise, Italian ricotta cake and so much more. Over 300 recipes, that's almost one for every day of the year. Get your chocolate fix now. This review first appeared on Karen Platt's book review website.

Chocolate recipes are one of my favorite things to make. The problem with some cookbooks is there are very few pictures and the layout can be confusing. With this book, there are tons of color photos to get an idea of what the recipe should look like. There are recipes for all sorts of chocolate, including some savory dishes. The variety is great. It also has a fabulous section on different types of chocolate and where chocolate originated from. Each recipe is also rated from easy to difficult, so whether you're an amature or an expert, you're sure to find a recipe that suits you. There is one recipe per page, so the book is clear and easy to read. I'd reccomend this book to anyone who loves to cook with chocolate.

I got this book from the library originally and had to have it. So many recipes, so little time.I made the dark chocolate ganache for filling for a vanilla cake. So rich and delicious. It got rave reviews.The book is filled with recipes for cookies, cakes, muffins, pastries, pies and frostings. There are candy, ice cream and custard sections. The holidays will soon be here. This book would be a great gift for the baker or wanna be baker in your life.

This book has just about every recipe that contains chocolate. You won't be bored trying to find a recipe.

This book is just pretty to look at. Most of the recipes are great but some are a little to fancy for me. The basic recipes are good though!