With an introduction by internationally renowned French pâtissier

Pierre Hermé and the collective experience of eight master chocolatiers

from the prestigious École du Grand Chocolat Valrhona, this

comprehensive volume is a key reference for working with chocolate

in the home kitchen. It includes:

- 500 step-by-step photographs

- 100 fundamental skills, techniques, and building-block recipes for

cooking with chocolate (from tempering and ganaches to croissant

dough, pastry creams to frozen desserts, and the secrets to achieving

a perfect chocolate mousse)

- A twenty-page guide to the science and history of chocolate

and to essential chocolate-making ingredients

- More than 100 recipes, graded for complexity: all the great classics

(éclairs, profiteroles, chocolate soufflé) and contemporary desserts

(macaroons, verrines), as well as tarts, baked goods, confectionery,

and special occasion and iced desserts

- Practical references: an illustrated guide to essential kitchen equipment;

a glossary; and a comprehensive index of recipes and techniques

- Eight bonus recipes by the greatest French pâtissiers, including

Gilles Marchal of the Maison du Chocolat, Christophe Adam

of Fauchon, and Jean-Paul Héven

- A complementary ninety-minute DVD features live, concise

demonstrations of fourteen essential techniques

This comprehensive cooking academy in book form opens

with 100 fundamental techniques and building-block recipes:

chocolate basics (melting, tempering, coating, and molding);

bonbon fillings (ganaches, pralines, pastes, and caramel);

decorations (including presentation dishes and glazes);

pastry, doughs, and sponges; creams (from crème anglaise

and crème pâtissière to chocolate panna cotta); chocolate

mousses; ice creams, sorbets, and sauces; and pâtissier's

secrets (from marbling and the faultless cake to whisking egg

whites and achieving the perfect chocolate mousse). Each

method is explained in text and step-by-step photographs,

with fourteen of them further clarified on the accompanying

ninety-minute DVD.

In addition to these techniques, more than 100 recipes,

organized into eight sections, are simplified for the home

cook: classics (Black Forest cake, Sachertorte, profiteroles,

molten chocolate cake, chocolate soufflé); tarts (chocolate-pear,

nut-caramel-coffee); desserts to share (choco-ginger

churros, chocolate-vanilla marbled waffles, bittersweet

chocolate panna cotta, chocolate cream verrines ); teatime

snacks (chocolate-pecan ladyfingers, brownies, chocolate

croissants, macaroons); iced desserts (parfait, granita,

sorbet, and ice cream); special occasion creations (bittersweet

chocolate fondue, crisp triple chocolate cake, hazelnut

praline Christmas log); candies (bonbons, coconut bars,

truffles, lollipops); and new trends (Truffled Ivory Macaroons

or filet mignon with bittersweet chocolate sauce).

Each recipe is graded with a three-star rating, enabling the

home chef to gauge its complexity and gradually expand his

abilities through experience. Cross references to techniques,

DVD footage, glossary terms, and complementary recipes

make navigation easy. The volume includes practical

resources: a visual dictionary of kitchen equipment; tips

for conserving chocolate; a guide to the history and science

of dark, milk, and white chocolate including the importance

of cocoa content; and a detailed index to the recipes and

techniques.