My Chocolate Fantasy

Chocolate and candy making today is undergoing a renaissance in public awareness and status. This comprehensive book combines artisan confectionery techniques with accessible explanations of the theory and science as well as formulas for use in production. Fundamental information for the confectioner includes ingredient function and use, chocolate processing, and artisan production techniques. The book contains 140 formulas and variations for beautiful confections, including dairy-based centers, crystalline and noncrystalline sugar confectionery, jellies, and nut center and aerated confections.

Candymaking is in the midst of a revolution. The public is increasingly hungry for hand-crafted chocolates and confections, heightening appreciation for the work of artisan confectioners who use traditional techniques and fine ingredients. Now, master confectioner Peter Greweling of The Culinary Institute of America has at lastproduced the bible of artisan confectionery—a comprehensive guide to the ingredients, theory, techniques, and formulas needed to create every kind of chocolate and confection.

Illustrated throughout with nearly 200 striking full-color photographs and illustrations, Chocolates & Confections provides a comprehensive foundation in confectionery, offering accessible explanations of theory as well as illustrated step-by-step guidance on technique, from tempering chocolate to candying fruit. It also includes helpful charts that pinpoint common candy-making pitfalls and how to avoid them, guides to the best quality chocolate and other all-natural confectionery ingredients, as well as information on packaging and storage.

Chocolates & Confections features chapters on every confectionery type—cream ganache, butter ganache, non-crystalline sugar confections, crystalline sugar confections, jellies, aerated confections, and nut centers—and includes nearly 150 formulas for classic confections, such as marzipan made using fresh almonds, as well as contemporary variations such as Madras, a coconut curry butter ganache. From truffles, butter ganache confections, hard candies, brittles, toffee, caramels, and taffy to fondants, fudges, gummies, candied fruit, marshmallows, divinity, nougat, marzipan, gianduja, and rochers, it demonstrates how to produce world-class confections and provides the in-depth background information candy-makers need to formulate their own signature creations.

In COOKIE DOUGH DELIGHTS, Camilla V. Saulsbury worked magic with refrigerated cookie dough. With BROWNIE MIX BLISS she turns her attention to the familiar box of brownie mix and the many possibilities contained herein.

Incredibly, all 175-plus recipes in BROWNIE MIX BLISS begin with a standard box of brownie mix. What’s more, all the recipes have been streamlined for easy, everyday baking. The problem, if you can call it that, will be deciding which treat to make first. How about Mocha Buttercream Brownies? Or Snickers Supreme Brownies? Or maybe Mint Julep Ganache Brownies? And that’s but the tip of the chocolate iceberg. While brownie mix can be used to create all manner of mouthwatering concoctions, it can also be transformed into countless other very easy, very chocolate desserts ranging from sophisticated biscotti, soufflé cakes, madeleines, and cheesecakes to nostalgic drop cookies ice cream novelties, gooey layered bar cookies, and so much more.

In addition to the recipes, Saulsbury offers “Brownie Points,” or tips for baking success. For the accomplished baker as well as the novice, BROWNIE MIX BLISS takes the chocolate dessert to a new level of, well, bliss!

Camilla Saulsbury opens up a world of confectionary possibilities, giving chocolate lovers almost 200 reasons to indulge. — Baltimore Sun, June 29 2005