Cookbook: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Chocolate

Chocolate is one of the most luxurious, indulgent foods in existence. We eat it voraciously and, at times, indiscriminately, for comfort, energy and passion. We present it to our friends, families and lovers as a greeting or farewell, to say thank you or sorry, as a declaration of love, in celebration, or as solace.

The first section of "The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Chocolate: With over 200 Recipes," a book written by Christine McFadden and Christine France, tells the fascinating story of chocolate. Interestingly, the cocoa bean, cultivated in South America for hundreds of years, was introduced to the European explorers of the sixteenth century by the Aztecs. By the seventeenth century, the habit of drinking chocolate had spread across Europe and was avidly consumed by royal families and courtiers both for breakfast and as an aphrodisiac. By the nineteenth century, the cocoa bean was put to use to make confectionery, and our real love affair with chocolate began. The authors then explore our relationship with chocolate: why we crave it, what it consists of, its therapeutic qualities, the myths and prejudices associated with it, all illustrated with fascinating archive material and specially commissioned photography of the world’s delicious chocolate.

The second section of the book contains over 200 recipes of the most luscious, chocoholic delights imaginable. Alongside the more extravagant indulgences of dinner party desserts and special occasion treats are the more familiar ones. Equipped with this, you can make the best brownies ever, irresistible chocolate chip biscuits, moist chocolate muffins, chocolate ice cream, chocolate cheesecake, among other much-loved classics, such as Black Forest Gateau, Mississippi Mud Pie, and Death by Chocolate. Other mouth-watering confections include Marbled Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cake, Chocolate Chestnut Roulade, Frosted Chocolate Fudge Cake, Chocolate Almond Meringue Pie, Hot Chocolate Zabaglione, White Chocolate Macadamia Slices, Malt Whiskey Truffles, Rich Chocolate Pistachio Fudge, and Chocolate-coated Nut Brittle. Step-by-step techniques show you how to temper, melt, drizzle, pipe, marble, curl, scroll, coat, grate and decorate with chocolate. There is also a chapter on sauces, frostings, and icings that will fill any remaining gaps in your chocolate expertise. This book holds everything you ever wanted to know about chocolate, including where it comes from, how the cocoa bean was grown, who its founding fathers were, how the bean becomes the bar, how to melt it, how to recognize the best there is, which types to use for cooking, and every conceivable kind of chocolate creation you can make with it. This is indeed the bible for all chocolate lovers.

The wide scope of "The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Chocolate" provides its authors with the perfect opportunity to share their considerable knowledge and experience of world cuisine. Christine McFadden worked as a cookery writer and editor since 1988 and her writing has always reflected her love of robust, international ingredients. Christine has worked on many projects for magazines, such as "Good Housekeeping and Healthy Eating," and is the author of a number of cookery books.

Christine France is a food writer with twenty years of experience in every aspect of the food media business. After training as a home economist Christine spent many years working on magazines, including Good Housekeeping and Woman’s Realm, before setting up her own freelance consultancy. Since then, she has written a wide variety of cookery books for various publishers.