Truffles, Candies, and Confections: Techniques and Recipes for Candymaking (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Guided by Carole Bloom’s so clear, so simple you’ll-kick-yourself-for-not-doing-this-sooner instructions, you’ll be on your way to making batches of some of the 90-plus treats found in TRUFFLES, CANDIES, AND CONFECTIONS in no time. Featuring Orange Chocolate Truffles, Vanilla Cream Caramels, Raspberry-Almond Squares, Espresso Hazelnut Fudge, and much more, this revised and expanded edition includes an updated introduction covering ingredients (buying and handling), equipment, techniques, ideas for packaging gifts, and the author’s special, trademarked tasting chart. Using tools found in most kitchens (you don’t even need a double boiler) and ingredients found at most grocery stores (including gourmet chocolate these days), you can start your own candy-making tradition. Don’t waste another calorie on store-bought, mass-produced candy—learn to make your own and never look back.

From the Publisher

* Revised and expanded edition of TRUFFLES, CANDIES, AND CONFECTIONS, featuring more than a dozen new recipes plus 20 full-color food and how-to photographs.
* Recipes are organized into categories: truffles; more chocolate candies; caramel candies; nut brittles and marzipan; fudge, nougat and divinity; and fruit candies.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press (September 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580086217
• ISBN-13: 978-1580086219
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #66,697 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Candy Making at Home, April 21, 2005

By	jerry i h (Berkeley, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

For those who want to make candy in their kitchen at home, this book is the only game in town. In spite of some shortcomings, I do recommend it for the dedicated home cook. There are a number of older candy books, but are mostly out of print and date back 50 years or more; as such, they do not reflect current abilities or tastes. This book is the only complete one on confectionery I can think of published in recent years. This is a reprint of the original published in 1992.

This book does a good job of representing those candies that people want these days. When they think of confectionery, they mainly are thinking of chocolate truffles and clusters; consequently, the first half of the book is devoted to just that. The second half contains chapters on caramel, brittles and marzipan, fudge and nougat, and fruit. The recipe instructions are well described and easy to follow. The sections on ingredients, techniques, and equipment are also important, as these subjects in older candy books are out of date and mostly worthless.

There were some shortcomings, however. The description on tempering chocolate is brief, and leaves out many details. I object to the many ministrations that chocolate be put into the refrigerator. Many of the recipes in the second half call for hot sugar to be cooked to 240 degrees and beyond. This is the most dangerous thing in the kitchen to do (even more dangerous that deep-frying in oil), yet there are no instructions on how to do this safely. This subject by itself would need a section 3 or 4 pages by itself. There should also be more information on the difference between milk, white, and semi-sweet chocolates and the various brands.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars What? No Fondants?, August 23, 2006

By	Azara A. Golston - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I feel that this cookbook is missing a couple of important candy genres. Although it does include two recipes for marzipan, a rare phenomenon in the world of American candy books, there is no mention of hard candies other than nut brittles, and perhaps even more surprisingly, there are no fondant recipes. I consider fondant to be one of the cornerstones of candymaking, and lovely though this book may be, I can't help but feel cheated by its misleadingly wide-ranging title. It does, however, boast an extensive section on truffles, and the technique chapter at the beginning of the book sports an exceptionally thorough and unique explanation of chocolate tempering and how one holds a temper. If you already have a collection of candy books that covers all the bases, ¨Truffles, Candies and Confections¨ is a nice addition. But if you're looking for an introduction to candy making in general, this is not it.

22 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Super candy book for everyone., November 10, 2004

By	Ben Smith - See all my reviews

This is the best book that I have ever bought on candy making. It is clear and very easy to use--and the recipes are all my favorites. I really like the chocolate truffles that Carole does and the peanut brittle is the best I have ever had. I am going to make everything in this book, over and over again :).