"THE ART OF CHOCOLATE MAKING," by Anne Scott, Front Table Books, $29.99, 159 pages
In "The Art of Chocolate Making," award-winning chocolatier Anne Scott takes readers through the steps necessary to make professional quality chocolate in their own homes.
Scott had always enjoyed making chocolate, but in 2005, she and her husband opened an artisan family business called Auberge du Chocolat. Their shop, in Chesham, England, specializes in chocolates, gelato and fudge.
This cookbook teaches the history of chocolate, the intricacies involved in making chocolate, and multiple mouth-watering recipes readers can try themselves.
Scott believes that the more you know about the origins of chocolate, the more you will enjoy eating it. "The Art of Chocolate Making" is full of chocolate trivia such as, the ancient Mayan translation of the food is "God food" and that the cacao bean, the bean from which chocolate originates, can only grow in a few spots in the world.
Although chocolate is common place now, at one point it was such an exquisite rarity that only the most wealthy of citizens had even seen or tasted it. Scott attempts to bring back the delicacy of chocolate by showing readers just how fine chocolate should taste by skipping the store-bought candy and making their own.
After Scott guides readers through the background of the dessert, she instructs on the different methods of chocolate making with options like tempering, tabling and seeding.
Chocolate making may seem complicated, from the types of chocolate to the decision whether to make a ganache or a truffle, but Scott makes the process seem easy enough for beginners by the simple steps and helpful photographs.
With recipes to suit every taste, and photographs to match, the process of chocolate making can be something to enjoy as a family. Recipes range from flavored chocolates to fun-shaped chocolates for children.
Vanilla Chocolates
7.5 ounces white chocolate, chopped or in pellet form, for enrobing
3.5 fluid ounces double cream (or substitute)
5 ounces milk chocolate, chopped or in pellet form
1 ounce unsalted butter, softened
seeds from half a vanilla pod and a few drops good-quality vanilla extract
7 ounces white chocolate
1. Temper (the white chocolate for enrobing) and spread about a quarter of the tempered chocolate onto a sheet of grease-proof paper. Leave to set. When dry to the touch, cut out circles from the thin layer of about one-half inch in diameter.
2. Warm the cream. Add the milk chocolate and stir until all the chocolate is incorporated. If you still have lumps of chocolate, warm the mixture for about 10 seconds in the microwave and stir again until melted.
3. Blend in the butter, vanilla seeds and vanilla extract and whisk until light and smooth. Using a piping bag, pipe small mounds of the ganache onto the white discs of chocolate and leave to set.
4. When set, temper the remaining white chocolate to dip each chocolate to fully seal it. Leave the chocolates to set before cutting away any “feet.”
— "The Art of Chocolate Making," by Anne Scott
Tara Creel is a Logan native and mother of three boys. Her email is taracreel@gmail.com. Twitter: CreelTara