Monday, December 29, 2008

Chocolate Chocolate or Feast from the Mideast

Chocolate Chocolate

Author: Lisa Yockelson

Deep, dark, and fudgy. Moist and luxurious. Seductively rich.

For award-winning author Lisa Yockelson, chocolate has long been an obsession, a craving, a calling. Now she fulfills the calling in ChocolateChocolate, a dream cookbook that blends how-to information and more than 200 sublime recipes with a delicious collection of chocolate essays and reminiscences.

ChocolateChocolate reveals baking with chocolate as a sweet and simple art, one that is both rewarding and accessible. The book's unique "baking diary" format arranges chapters by theme, reflecting Yockelson's fresh and personal approach to baking. From comforting Brownie Style favorites to dashing Double Chocolate and Mudslide confections, temptation beckons from every page.

The book can be used in several ways - to find a recipe for a sweet that's just packed with chocolate, to learn how chocolate behaves in the baking process, to gather information on the various types and uses of chocolate, and, of course, to simply rejoice in what surely must be the most luxurious of all flavors.

Complemented by 155 stunning color photographs that artfully express her specialties in all their chocolate glory, here is a timeless reference all home bakers will return to again and again as a source of instruction, inspiration...and sheer indulgence.

Publishers Weekly

Yockelson (Baking with Flavor) has produced a book that is both encyclopedic and deeply personal, combining detailed information, clear instructions and engaging anecdotes. Even the most seasoned cacao bean lover will find surprises among the 200-plus recipes, while bakers at every level of expertise will appreciate the meticulous guide to techniques and ingredients (which includes a chart showing the relative strengths and uses of 180 different chocolates, from powders to Milky Way bars and imported brands). Recipes are organized around flavors, textures and themes, like "Back-to-Basics Chocolate Cakes," "Chocolate Pancakes" and "Mudslide." Whether explaining the family history of Chocolate Chip Cracks or Grandma Lily's Marble Cake, or the technical challenges of Bittersweet Chocolate Creams or Sweet Chocolate Streusel Tea Biscuits, Yockelson expands the reader's stereotypes about chocolate. It's a complex and seductive ingredient for grown-up eaters and the most sophisticated cooks. With 150 color photographs in a lush, oversized format, this work is destined for a long life on every serious baker's shelf. Agent, Mickey Choate. (Aug.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

This follow-up to Yockelson's Baking by Flavor is just as impressive as that ambitious work. Here she focuses on her favorite flavor of all, providing more than 200 thematically arranged recipes and a vast amount of information on chocolate in all its forms. "A Baker's List of Chocolate," for example, catalogs more than 175 chocolate products, from the esoteric (Shokinag Special Edition Bittersweet Couverture) to the familiar (Mounds Bars). There are numerous other charts throughout, along with detailed guides to ingredients and equipment, descriptions of essential techniques, and essays on various culinary matters. A consummate professional and a perfectionist, Yockelson is known for what she calls "flavor layering," i.e., using a chosen ingredient in more than one form in an individual dessert. Many of the recipes feature at least two different types of chocolate: Double-Decker Fudge Brownies, for example, are made with cocoa powder, chocolate chips, both unsweetened and bittersweet chocolate, and a layer of chocolate fudge.Color photographs show off many of these stunning, indulgent, often over-the-top desserts. For all baking collections. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.



Table of Contents:
With Appreciation.

A Chocolate Journal.

The Flavor of Chocolate.

Techniques.

The Baking Pantry.

Outfitting the Baking Kitchen.

Brownie Style.

Back-to-Basics Chocolate Cakes.

Black Bottom Cupcakes, and More.

Chips and Chunks.

Chocolate and Streusel, Chocolate and Nuts.

Chocolate and Toffee.

Chocolate Birthday Cakes.

Chocolate Bread.

Chocolate Coffee, Bundt, and Pound Cakes.

Chocolate in Big Muffins, Biscuits, and Scones.

Chocolate in Layers.

Chocolate Memories.

Chocolate Pancakes, Chocolate Waffles.

Chocolate Tender, Chocolate Crunchy.

Chocolate, Caramel, and Nuts-a-Turtle Twist.

Deep, Dark, and Bittersweet.

Double Chocolate.

Flourless and Almost-Flourless Chocolate Cakes.

Heirloom Chocolate Cookies.

Mudslide.

Liquid Chocolate and Homemade Marshmallows.

Storing and Freezing Chocolate Baked Goods.

Sources.

Bibliography.

Photography Plate for Ingredients.

Index.

Go to: Faith of my Fathers or The Cuckoos Egg

Feast from the Mideast: 250 Sun-Drenched Dishes from the Lands of the Bible

Author: Faye Levy

From the Fertile Crescent, where agriculture began, to the extravagant tables of Ottoman emperors, the Mideast boasts a surpassingly rich culinary heritage. In Faye Levy's Feast from the Mideast, the acclaimed food journalist and cookbook author brings 250 time-honored recipes into the twenty-first-century American kitchen. Accessible and authentic dishes, helpful shopping tips, and Faye Levy's trademark user-friendly approach make this book a must-have introduction to a vibrant international cuisine.

For almost three decades, Faye Levy has shopped, cooked, and dined her way through the Mideast, and her enthusiasm for this flavorful, unfussy cuisine will inspire you to make these ancient culinary traditions your own. Featuring the bold flavors and simple, healthy techniques of more than ten countries, this collection has dishes for every occasion, from dinner-party feasts to quick and healthy weekday meals. Faye Levy's repertoire of fresh, mouthwatering specialties will add excitement and boldness to any meal, whether it's a simple sandwich enlivened by a zesty Grilled Eggplant Sesame Dip, or elegant Grilled Lamb Chops spiced up with Garlic Cumin Tomato Salsa. Ms. Levy takes readers beyond hummus and falafel—although she offers stellar recipes for both of these classics.

Feast from the Mideast offers a veritable banquet of authentic, tempting dishes and is the ultimate all-in-one guide to the wholesome cuisines of these historic, sun-drenched lands.

Publishers Weekly

Delivering another winner, Levy (1,000 Jewish Recipes; Faye Levy's International Vegetable Cookbook) turns her attention to the Middle East, where she lived for many years, and draws not only on her heritage but also on the customs and traditional variations that shape the region. Distinguishing a dish as Egyptian or Syrian rather than Persian, for example, she takes home cooks on a culinary odyssey, explaining the history and geography of each region. Starting with the Middle East pantry and carefully offering substitutes where necessary, she addresses the specialized ingredients that the user may not be familiar with. Each recipe is carefully described with its provenance and attributes from the traditional main course, such as Yemenite Beef Soup with Curry Spices and Potatoes ("the centerpiece of the traditional Yemenite diet"); the rich, sweet flaky Nut-filled Baklava ("the first records we have come from Syria near the Turkish border"); and the ubiquitous Middle Eastern Diced Salad, which has a different name in each country. Several recipes are given new twists, while never deviating from the intrinsic substance at the heart of each dish, to take advantage of today's health concerns. Interspersed with panels that inform and amuse (as when Levy, as a budding cook, describes exploding an eggplant), the book concludes with a chapter covering the basics, from blanching almonds to making vegetable stock and a selection of suggested menus. Wide in breadth and scope with a thorough attention to detail, Levy's foray into this area of cuisine so plentiful in history results in an important volume rich in content and knowledge. (Oct.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Levy, the author of close to a dozen other cookbooks, has lived and traveled extensively throughout the Middle East; much of her family lives in the region, and her husband was born there. Middle Eastern cooking has become increasingly popular here, and foods like hummus and tabblouleh are now supermarket staples. Levy includes fresh versions of such familiar dishes, along with equally delicious recipes for lesser-known classics and more contemporary fare, from Summer Purslane and Tomato Salad to Roasted Salmon with Garlic, Lemon, and Coriander. Headnotes are informative and very readable, and the recipes are eminently appealing. A good companion to Claudia Roden's New Book of Middle Eastern Food (the revised version of her 1972 classic), this is highly recommended. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.



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