The Art of the Chocolatier: From Classic Confections to Sensational Showpieces [Hardcover]

Ewald Notter (Author), Joe Brooks (Photographer), Lucy Schaeffer (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 18, 2011

A must-have guide to chocolate making and chocolate showpiece design, from renowned confectionery expert Ewald Notter.

Covering the full spectrum of chocolate work--from the fundamentals of chocolate making to instruction on advanced showpiece design and assembly--The Art of the Chocolatier is the most complete and comprehensive guide to chocolate making on the market. The book covers basic information on ingredients, equipment, and common techniques in the pastry kitchen, while also offering clear, step-by-step instructions on creating small candies and large-scale chocolate pieces.

This is the ideal book for pastry students enrolled in chocolate and confectionery courses, as well as working professionals and even serious home confectioners who want to improve their skills in advanced chocolate work.

• Illustrated step-by-step instructions cover all the essentials of chocolate-making, from tempering and creating ganache and gianduja to using molds, transfer sheets, and more.
• An entire chapter devoted to Creating a Competition Piece covers the ins and outs of confectionery competition, from preparing for the event and developing a concept to designing and building a winning chocolate showpiece.
• Beautiful full-color photos throughout provide inspiration for chocolate décor and showpiece design, while clear how-to photos illustrate key techniques.

The Art of the Chocolatier provides expert-level coverage of every aspect of the chocolatier's art for students and professionals alike.

---

Selected Recipes from The Art of the Chocolatier

Chocolate Shavings

Chocolate shavings can be used as a décor element for showpieces, and they are useful for hiding imperfections. They are often used to surround flowers instead of leaves. They can be made from any type or color of chocolate.

1. Spread a thin layer of tempered chocolate directly onto a marble with an offset spatula. Clean the edges with a triangle spatula to form a sharp rectangle.
2. Once the chocolate sets, rub your hand over it to warm it and to increase elasticity.
3. Use a triangle scraper to shave off the chocolate in a fast, curving outward motion.

NOTE: White chocolate sets more slowly than dark chocolate, allowing more time to shave it off as compared to the dark chocolate.

Variation

Marbled Chocolate Shavings: Drizzle dark chocolate onto a marble tabletop, and before it sets, cover with white chocolate, slightly blending them together to create a marbled look. Use an offset spatula to spread the marbled chocolates into a thin layer. Shave off curls as described above.

---

Flower Vase Showpiece

Clockwise from left on diagram: Leaves, sphere, flower support, circular base for beneath vase, feet, base, support for pralines.

NOTE: All templates can be enlarged or reduced as needed. Spheres and feet are included for size only and are meant to be created using molds.

---

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Becoming a successful chocolatier requires artistry, talent, and a range of well-honed pastry and confectionery skills. This book, from renowned chocolatier and pastry chef Ewald Notter, teaches those skills in a stunningly illustrated full-color format and provides a complete education in chocolate work—from basic chocolate making to advanced showpiece construction.

Notter begins with an in-depth overview of chocolate, including all of the skills required for producing truffles, slabbed pralines, and other simple candies. He then presents the essential concepts and vital techniques for creating gorgeous large-scale chocolate showpieces that engage the imagination and delight the senses. The book includes detailed descriptions, clear and well-illustrated instructions, step-by-step explanations of techniques, and expert advice on these and other topics:

The Basics of Chocolate and Other Ingredients A history of chocolate, its harvesting and production, couverture, and other confectionery ingredients such as nuts, spices, sugars, and liquors.

Essential Equipment

All the tools of the trade, including appliances, hand tools, molds, frames, and other candy tools.

Chocolate Composition and Basic Techniques Including tempering, dipping, sugar boiling, and caramelizing nuts.

Simple and Advanced Methods and Recipes Including gianduja, marzipan, ganache, and a broad range of chocolate pralines.

Decorating Techniques Using transfer sheets, airbrushing, and casting, filling, capping, and finishing molded candies.

Chocolate Showpiece Creation Including bases and tubes, décor, modeling, painting, piping, creating flowers, and assembly of three-dimensional figures.

The Art of the Chocolatier is the only book on the market that covers the full spectrum of chocolate work, from fundamental concepts to beautiful final products. For pastry students, working professionals, and serious home confectioners who want to improve their skills with chocolate, this is the ultimate guide to the chocolatier's art.

From the Back Cover

"Ewald Notter is a master of chocolate work and this book is a clear, complete guide to the art of the chocolatier. His passion, artistry, and creativity shine through in his work, which is an inspiration for pastry chefs. His clear and precise instructions make even advanced techniques easy to understand." —Jacques Torres, Meilleur Ouvrier de France Owner and Founder, Jacques Torres Chocolate

"When I first got into the world of chocolate and sugar, the name Ewald Notter was synonymous with the best in the world. Twenty-six years later that still hasn't changed. Ewald is blessed with an artistic vision and attention to detail that place him in an elite category of professionals, and his ability to convey those skills to others is the icing on the cake." —Michael Schneider, Founder and Creator of the National and World Pastry Team Championships

"A fantastic book—every chef and aspiring chef should have a copy and keep it close. Thank you, Ewald, for generously sharing your knowledge, perfection, and artistic talent!" —Roland Mesnier, Former White House Pastry Chef

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (January 18, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470398841
• ISBN-13: 978-0470398845
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 1.3 x 11.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #26,629 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #7 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Baking > Chocolate

More About the Author

Considered to be a leading expert in and renowned master of modern day confectionery arts, Chef Ewald Notter is also known well known as a competitor and teacher. He has won numerous awards, including National and World Pastry Team Champion and Pastry Chef of the Year. In 2001, he won the gold medal with the US Team at the Coupe du Monde in Lyon, France, receiving the highest score ever recorded in sugarwork: 699 out of 700 points, helping the United States Team achieve its very first Gold Medal. In 2003, Ewald was honored from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences with the 5 Star Diamond award as "One of the Finest Confectionery Chefs of the World." He was also the first pastry professional inducted into the Pastry Art and Design Hall of Fame. Ewald continues to teach and coach internationally, all while publishing highly respected books on his craft. He is also the founder and owner of the Notter School of Pastry Arts in Orlando, Florida- a fabulous destination for both professional and aspiring pastry chefs from around the globe. The school is recognized as one of the world's most prestigious pastry schools, with teaching methods based on the artist-apprentice model practiced in Europe for many centuries.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb book long on creativity November 17, 2011

By Reader from New England

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I rank this excellent book as equal but different from Greweling's splendid tome on "Chocolate and Confections". The two complement each other very well. The Classic Confections component of this book has many great recipes for truffles, dipped and molded chocolates, with a great deal of special attention given to decoration by using many colored cocoa butter techniques. After learning the basics from Greweling and Schotts (whose splendid little book on "Making Artisan Chocolates" is a necessary addition to any aspiring chocolatier's collection) I was keen on learning more about the magic of coloring chocolates.
While the Greweling book is more focused on the science and theory, this one adds greatly to one's repertoire by broadening the range of flavors and decoration experimentation.
I found the showpiece component interesting, and imagine it would be a fantastic primer for someone interested in entering chocolate competitions.
The text is clear, well organized with superb pictures.
The three books mentioned above are totally sufficient as a good chocolate library. I found the Recchiutti "Chocolate Obsession" and Pierre Herme books to be far less useful.

20 of 24 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful book, but thin on useful info for beginners March 31, 2011

By seedless grape

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a beautiful book that provides lots of inspiration. The recipes go from basic to complicated, starting with simple chocolates formed in molds, progressing to truffles, then culminating in show-stopping architectural creations that look less like chocolate and more like small-scale sculptures. There are lots of pictures and fairly detailed instructions for each project.

I can only give 4 stars, though, because I found the book oddly lacking in the information that would be useful for beginners who are just starting to make their own chocolates. The book lists and explains all the tools that a chocolatier uses, for example, but I would have appreciated some information identifying the "starter" tools that a beginner really needs to have. (E.g.: You DO need candy molds. You DON'T need a guitar cutter. You DO need a spatula. You DON'T need a marble slab.) The book also provides very little information about the fundamental ingredient, chocolate (or more specifically, couverture). There is a paragraph explaining what couverture is, and telling you to use it, but there is precious little information about how different formulations and different percentages/ratios of cocoa butter and cocoa solids affect the finished product. With well over 700,000 Google hits for the word "couverture," moreover, a list of recommended suppliers or brands would have been useful.

I've enjoyed the book and have started making my own chocolates, which have turned out pretty well, but just a couple more pages in the first two chapters (before the book dives into the recipes) would have been very useful.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars this is all you need January 27, 2012

By misstukwila

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is really all you need if you love to work with chocolate. A simple guide to putting these wonderful chocolates together. This is a must for a chocolate lover and for working with chocolates.