Lee P. (copiousreader) reviewed Chocolate Epiphany: Exceptional Cookies, Cakes, and Confections for Everyone on
This book is on a level that few chocolate, or to that matter dessert, pastry etc books have reached. It shouts quality from every point of view: From the excellent cover, to the gloss pages ,on to the beautiful photographs and finally to the most important aspect, the recipes, this is a book that mirrors its author's love for the subject.
Francois Payard is a Frenchman living in the USA, and is the owner of a patisserie and bistro in the New World. Unlike many Europeans that have negatively changed their culinary and patisserie heritage to suit the tastes of their new homelands, Mr Payard very successfully presents French chocolate patisserie, slightly adopted for the American taste buds but without being commercialized or cheapened by using margarine, shortenings, or too much sugar.
The book uses both Metric and Volume (cups and spoons) measurements so that ingredients can be easily measured by all. It does not however use Celsius temperatures, only Fahrenheit, but this can be easily remedied with a comparative table.
This book is geared towards both the Professional and the amateur. Most of the recipes can be made by home cooks, but read the instructions carefully. The author gives some useful tips to read before one attempts the recipes.
Then the feast starts. There are more than one hundred recipes included, starting with breads and brunch dishes. In this chapter we find among others: Chocolate cherry bread with cocoa nibs, Chocolate brioche with chocolate chips, Chocolate blinis.
Then we move on to Cookies and Petit Fours: Here I particularly like the Florentines, Triple chocolate Financiers, Chocolate coconut rochers, Cracaos, Flourless chocolate cookies. There is also a recipe for chocolate churros with dipping sauces.
The next chapter is Candies and Chocolate. It is one of the best chapters. All the products here are mouthwatering. They include: Chocolate Marshmallows, Chocolate Nougat, After "8" chocolates, Muscadines, Rum Truffles.
Then come Mousses, Meringues and Ice Cream, with Chocolate Creme Brulees, Coffee and Chocolate Panna Cottas, Floating Islands in Spiced Chocolate Sauce, Milk Chocolate Parfaits with Chocolate Popcorn, Dark and white chocolate Napoleons, Trio of Chocolate Mousse Cake, Bittersweet Chocolate Sorbet.
The Tarts chapter is represented (among many others) by Chocolate Meringue Tart, Chocolate Pecan Tart, Chocolate Pear Almond Tart, Peanut Caramel Tart.
The Cakes chapter should really be called Gateaux or Entremets Section as most of the products are elaborate or layered creations, along with some decadent cakes: Gateau de crepes with Green Tea Cream, Chocolate Rum Savarin, Flourless chocolate cake, Chocolate Saint Honore, Pine Nut Turron Cake, Dark Chocolate Cheesecake with Orange Marmalade, "American" Opera Gateau using Peanut Butter-cream and Peanut-butter Ganache, are only some of many creations.
Then come Plated Desserts: White chocolate cheesecakes with blueberries, Chocolate crepes with Vanilla Ice cream and Candied Orange, Chocolate sticky toffee puddings, to name a few.
The final chapter includes the basics, such as butter-cream, browned butter, almond cream, simple syrup, praline paste, chocolate mousse etc.
Francois Payard is a Frenchman living in the USA, and is the owner of a patisserie and bistro in the New World. Unlike many Europeans that have negatively changed their culinary and patisserie heritage to suit the tastes of their new homelands, Mr Payard very successfully presents French chocolate patisserie, slightly adopted for the American taste buds but without being commercialized or cheapened by using margarine, shortenings, or too much sugar.
The book uses both Metric and Volume (cups and spoons) measurements so that ingredients can be easily measured by all. It does not however use Celsius temperatures, only Fahrenheit, but this can be easily remedied with a comparative table.
This book is geared towards both the Professional and the amateur. Most of the recipes can be made by home cooks, but read the instructions carefully. The author gives some useful tips to read before one attempts the recipes.
Then the feast starts. There are more than one hundred recipes included, starting with breads and brunch dishes. In this chapter we find among others: Chocolate cherry bread with cocoa nibs, Chocolate brioche with chocolate chips, Chocolate blinis.
Then we move on to Cookies and Petit Fours: Here I particularly like the Florentines, Triple chocolate Financiers, Chocolate coconut rochers, Cracaos, Flourless chocolate cookies. There is also a recipe for chocolate churros with dipping sauces.
The next chapter is Candies and Chocolate. It is one of the best chapters. All the products here are mouthwatering. They include: Chocolate Marshmallows, Chocolate Nougat, After "8" chocolates, Muscadines, Rum Truffles.
Then come Mousses, Meringues and Ice Cream, with Chocolate Creme Brulees, Coffee and Chocolate Panna Cottas, Floating Islands in Spiced Chocolate Sauce, Milk Chocolate Parfaits with Chocolate Popcorn, Dark and white chocolate Napoleons, Trio of Chocolate Mousse Cake, Bittersweet Chocolate Sorbet.
The Tarts chapter is represented (among many others) by Chocolate Meringue Tart, Chocolate Pecan Tart, Chocolate Pear Almond Tart, Peanut Caramel Tart.
The Cakes chapter should really be called Gateaux or Entremets Section as most of the products are elaborate or layered creations, along with some decadent cakes: Gateau de crepes with Green Tea Cream, Chocolate Rum Savarin, Flourless chocolate cake, Chocolate Saint Honore, Pine Nut Turron Cake, Dark Chocolate Cheesecake with Orange Marmalade, "American" Opera Gateau using Peanut Butter-cream and Peanut-butter Ganache, are only some of many creations.
Then come Plated Desserts: White chocolate cheesecakes with blueberries, Chocolate crepes with Vanilla Ice cream and Candied Orange, Chocolate sticky toffee puddings, to name a few.
The final chapter includes the basics, such as butter-cream, browned butter, almond cream, simple syrup, praline paste, chocolate mousse etc.
