Chocolates and Confections: Formula, Theory, and Technique for the Artisan Confectioner

I'm a pretty good cook but I had never dared to tackle making chocolates until recently.

It was one of two books I bought to help me into the world of the amateur chocolatier and thank goodness it was. With detailed information on not only the 'how' but also the 'why' of every step of making chocolates this book has given me the insight, inspiration and courage to produce my own handmade chocolates, including how to make the various centres I'd only ever tasted in shop bought sweets before.

This book includes easily followed recipes and sumptuous photography that you'd want your own confections to match. The science in making confectionery is also explained and this information is what has helped me, so far, avoid making any huge mistakes. A brief mention is made of the tools required to achieve the desired results, although one or two of them are actually quite pricey and more the purview of the professional confectioner or really ardent (not to mention cash rich) amateurs.

What makes me rate this book 5 stars is it's breadth of coverage - it not only details chocolate making but also jellies, hard candy and even starch moulding (I've figured out how to make jelly babies now!!) and this has meant I've been able to branch out into confections I hadn't even considered before.

A great place to start from, then, and an ever present reference now I'm becoming more experienced in confectionery. The price is totally justified - this is a must buy for every amateur confectioner or those seriously considering starting in this career path.

Everything you need to know about confections. (17/17 people found this helpful)

This book is an invaluable resource on all things confections. It starts with several chapters on the process of making chocolates. This covers in details how chocolate is made from bean to bar, followed swiftly by details of all the main methods of tempering chocolate. Then the fun really starts with lots of information on making ganache and the ratios required. But wait, the book doesn't just stop with chocolate, it then goes into great details of all confections, hard candies, jellies, everything a sweet makers heart could desire.

The majority of books that I've found on making chocolates have been American and, as such, the measurements have often been in cups requiring extra work to transform to metric. This book has all recipes in three forms, metric, imperial and a ratio column . The ratio column being in percentage so you can have a starting point to when you want to increase or decrease the batch size (as the book says however you will need to experiment when you change batch sizes but at least you get to try the results).

The book is written in a thoroughly engaging way and I recommend it to all would be chocolate makers or any confection maker. It's a most valuable resource.

Peter P. Greweling, The Culinary Institute of America (CIA)

Reader Reviews:

An invaluable source of information (3/3 people found this helpful)

Everything you need to know about confections. (17/17 people found this helpful)

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