Spago Chocolate [Hardcover]

Mary Bergin (Author), Judy Gethers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 19, 1999

Chocolate is not just an inclination. It is a passion, a disposition of the soul. Here, collected for the first time, are recipes for the chocolate desserts people clamor for night after night at Spago--many so popular they can't be taken off the menu. Spago Chocolate is a passport to indulgence and a chance to bring a piece of the Spago magic home, with the prom-ise of recurring pleasure.
        
There are recipes for beginners, as easy as to-die-for chocolate chunk cookies, chocolate tiramisù, or dark chocolate cupcakes. Try Mary's spectacular chocolate truffle cake (it will have your guests in awe), a mouthwatering white chocolate soufflé with Grand Marnier sauce, or a chocolate-nougatine tart with apricot ice cream. Spago regulars will find their favorites, from the world's most sinfully seductive chocolate mousse to a showstopping meringue Napoleon.
        
With breathtaking photographs by Alan Richard-son, one of America's top food photographers, Spago Chocolate has been fully tested at home by Judy Gethers, who has shaped every Spago cookbook from The Wolfgang Puck Cookbook to Spago Desserts. Every recipe is broken down into simple basics, with unmistakably clear instructions and helpful tips.
        
Like Wolfgang Puck, Spago's charismatic chef and owner, pastry chef Mary Bergin has mastered the rare blend of classical teaching and dazzling, innovative spirit that has made the James Beard Award-winning Spagos among the best-loved restaurants in the world. Now you can make Mary Bergin's unforgettable chocolate desserts at home--just as they are prepared in the Spago kitchens.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck has been setting food trends at his world-famous Spago restaurants since they opened in the early 1980s. But when it comes to dessert, he wisely lets his pastry chef, Mary Bergin, stay with the classics (though admittedly she does them in ultrasophisticated ways). Here, as a follow-up to her Spago Desserts cookbook, Bergin's chocolate indulgences range from a decadently satiny Chocolate Cheesecake, and assorted brownies, to her complex Hazelnut Dome, a round of ethereal chocolate and hazelnut cake mounded with rich mousse, all concealed in a chocolate shell. Among the most memorable recipes here are the Heavenly Banana Soufflé Surprise and Peanut Butter Cups. Melted chocolate is the secret surprise at the heart of the classic soufflé. Thanks to the recipe-writing work of Judy Gethers, you will see that this unforgettable composition is really easy to make. The Peanut Butter Cups, balls of butter-silkened peanut butter set into chocolate-filled mini-cups, would make E.T. forget about going home.

Understanding time pressures faced by even devoted home cooks, Gethers tells how far ahead each of the nearly 100 extravaganzas in Spago Chocolate can be made. Right at the top of each recipe there is a list of all the equipment needed to help you get organized.

Alan Richardson's 26 color photos show that these desserts are impressive yet approachable. Most are simple enough for a confident cook to make, thanks to this book's user-friendly recipes. --Dana Jacobi

From Library Journal

Spago Desserts showcased favorite desserts of all types from Wolfgang Puck's popular restaurants. This time, Bergin, pastry chef at Spago, Las Vegas, and coauthor Gethers limit their tantalizing selection to chocolate treats. There are cakes and pastries, pies and tarts, cookies, souffl?s and other "creamy desserts," and a selection of delicious candies; some are as homey as Buttermilk Layer Cake, others as sophisticated as Dark Chocolate Pots de Cr?me and Orange Brul?e. Any chocolate lover will find this book irresistible; recommended for all pastry collections.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Random House; 1st edition (October 19, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679448330
• ISBN-13: 978-0679448334
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 0.9 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,689,641 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intense!, December 1, 1999

By 

Callie (Northern Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spago Chocolate (Hardcover)

Mary Bergin has a real winner on her hands. This book sticks to its subject, chocolate! The recipes, most accompanied by great pictures, are written to be realistic for the home cook. She rarely strays away chocolate-intense recipes, unlike some recent books which include almost-impossible-to-do-at-home and white chocolate recipes (yechh! ). Recipes include the presently popular chocolate lava cake, chocolate bundt cake, cookies, and a chocolate chiffon cake that is used in a number of ways. This would be a great present for the chocolate-lover dear to your heart.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Decadent desserts, if you know a thing or two about cooking, January 26, 2000

By 

wongi (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spago Chocolate (Hardcover)

This is a great book to have if you're looking for a variety of chocolate desserts. The restaurant Spago has always been well known for their desserts and what makes their dessert cookbooks so appealing is that the experienced home cook can execute these recipes so long as they can access the ingredients and cooking equipment. However, it's important that the home cook have some experience with the science of baking and tempering before attempting these desserts.

The desserts I tried were Chocolate Chiffon Cake, Special Occasion Mascarpone Layer Cake and Fudgy Chocolate Cake. The Fudgy Chocolate Cake took almost an hour and a half to bake (the book instructed just 45 minutes and at that point, only the top and sides were cooked) resulting in a very dry, dense cake that desperately screamed "Got milk?"

For the Mascarpone Layer Cake, the mascarpone filling asked for two gelatin sheets. There were two problems with the gelatin sheets. One: It was almost impossible to dissolve two gelatin sheets into just two tablespoons of warm liquid. And the recipe did not instruct us to presoak the sheets. Two: Two gelatin sheets were not enough. The filling was too runny. I had to use an additional two.

As with any cookbook, carefully read through the ingredients and actual execution of the recipe. It may not turn out just right the first time, but if you're willing to take notes and attempt the recipe again, it'll be a piece of cake.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible recipes!!, December 8, 2000

By 

SuzanneF "lissie1020" (NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spago Chocolate (Hardcover)

The hardest part of this cookbook for me is deciding what to make from it! From the versatile chocolate chiffon cake to the incredible mocha mousse, this cookbook is devine. The Florida chocolate dipped coconut patties have become one of my standbys. I have made tons of recipes from this book, and not only have I never had a problem with them, they are the recipes my guests clamor for again and again!