The Chocolate Deck: 50 Luscious Indulgences (Epicurean Delights)

Lori Longbotham (Author), William Meppem (Photographer)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This deck's 50 decadent recipes showcase the world's favorite guilty pleasure and illustrate basic tips for cooking with different types of that rich, dark, delicious treat—chocolate! Who could resist whipping up Individual Molten Chocolate Cakes, a Black Velvet Chocolate Mousse, a devilish Chocolate Martini, or an irresistible Bittersweet Chocolate Gelato? Each card offers the means to a quick, luscious fix of this ultimate indulgence.

About the Author

Lori Longbotham is the author of Luscious Lemon Desserts and Luscious Chocolate Desserts and is a former editor for Gourmet. She contributes to a variety of magazines including Good Housekeeping. Check out her Web site at www.lorilongbotham.com.

Product Details

• Cards: 50 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (August 25, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811848442
• ISBN-13: 978-0811848442
• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 4.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,090,209 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For Chocolate Lovers, December 8, 2005

By	Janet Boyer "JanetBoyer.com" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

"...In the year 2001, chocolate consumption in this country was more than three billion pounds. And for you, fellow chocolate lovers, I've created these recipes with as much deep, dark chocolate as possible. And you don't need previous experience making desserts or working with chocolate-I am totally confident that you can make these luscious chocolate desserts with ease." - From the deck

For those of us who consume chocolate at the rate of Emperor Montezuma, The Chocolate Deck is a wonderful treat! This 50-card deck features a full-color picture of the dish one side of the card and an easy-to-follow recipe on the other.

Some of the luscious recipes you'll find in this deck include:

* Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies
* Quickest, Easiest Chocolate Mousse Pie
* Chocolate Refrigerator Roll
* Dark Chocolate Tart
* Mexican-Style Hot Chocolate For Adults
* Grilled Chocolate-Stuffed Bananas
* Chocolate Cheesecake
* Buttery Chocolate Wafers
* Bittersweet Hot Chocolate Soufflé
* Chocolate Panna Cotta
* Mocha Tiramisu
* Chocolate Whipped Cream
* Chocolate Martini

and more!

The Chocolate Deck comes with a 4-part fold-out that lists the recipes in numerical order, as well as describes the different forms of chocolate, necessary recipes (that aren't on the cards), a short history of chocolate, and how chocolate goes from cacao to the final product.

The cards measure approximately 5.5 x 3.75 inches and come in an attractive, sturdy box. The top comes off easily, providing easy access to the deck, and the box can stand upright.

The full-color photos make my mouth water! My only complaint with this deck is that a few of the pictures repeat. However, considering the tempting recipes in The Chocolate Deck, this is a minor criticism!

If you love chocolate or know someone who does, these cards would make a wonderful alternative to a bulky cookbook!

(To see 6 images from this deck, visit the Reviews--Decks section at JanetBoyer.com)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ahh for an organized mind..., December 13, 2006

By	H. Grove "owling6683" (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The cards are sturdy and attractive, and thankfully coated so that they wipe off fairly easily. The backs are graced with attractive photographs, usually of the card's dish. Thanks to the necessarily brief format, you know you're getting relatively simple recipes that don't require a ton of page-flipping. Ingredients and instructions are laid out quite well, and are easy to make out in a hurry.

Surprisingly, a four-panel foldout card includes a listing of all recipes with numbers (cards are numbered one through 50) as well as some basic tips and recipes for such things as melting chocolate and making chocolate frosting. We made two different kinds of chocolate mousse from the deck--a whipped cream-based mousse cake and an egg white-based mousse--and both were absolutely divine. The chocolate jelly (a chocolate jello-like dessert) didn't fare quite as well; it separated into two layers with different textures, and although it tasted quite good, not everyone at dinner was fond of the texture.

To a certain extent the utility of this deck is dependent on your personality and style; if you're highly organized, I think you'll find it much more usable than I did and can probably consider the rating to be 5 out of 5. If, like me, you have ADD-induced brain scatter, constantly having to find the small cards while you cook might drive you a tad nuts! Keep this in mind when deciding whether this item is right for you.

5.0 out of 5 stars The chocolate Deck..., February 1, 2010

By	Marionbrodie (San Diego CA..USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

I have browsed thru all the wonderful recipes and was very impressed with the cards..
however I cannot give any positive reviews yet altho I agree with all of the other reviewers who have used the recipes using these cards.. this is why I purchased in the first place they looked so easy to deal with !..
I also did not receive the cards until after Christmas so it did not give me a chance to try any of them out..
but I do like the cards [and the recipes look luscious] and am sure they will be very advantageous when using them !!
I am impressed !!