This -is- a chocolate lovers catalog of wonders, some of them eye-wateringly complex with rigorously detailed guided instructions (tutorials, really) for sourcing ingredients and recreating some incredible vegan confections. It is also a really engagingly written philosophy guide with musings on ethics, some politics, society, family, death, business, the concepts of wealth and success, and everything in between.
For readers who are -just- here for the treats, the recipes are well organized and gorgeously (decadently) photographed and illustrated. This is food porn at its finest. It's unclear from the publishing info available online, but the eARC I received has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references. I hope the ebook release version does also. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. Presumably that feature has carried through to the final release version.
The introduction (circa 20% of the content) is a philosophical, biographical, introspective how-did-we-get-here by the author which also introduces the supporting players. There was a lot of interesting side info of which I was previously unaware (for example why weird semi-bitter over-sugared American mass produced chocolate has -never- appealed to me), along with some good suggested further reading. I love books which turn me on to other books, and this one does.
The introduction is followed by a whimsically arranged tour of different archetypes of the confectioner's art: ganache, caramels (cooked candies, really, as it includes toffees and hard candies), fruits/veg/and baked (cookie). The categories are further subdivided into more sections and far more recipes than I was willing to count.
Each of the recipes has an introductory paragraph, yields, ingredients, and step by step instructions. The recipes are full of tips and tricks for presentation. Many have conversational and charming asides included (like making chocolate 'seatbelts' for ginger garnish wands on top of the Ginger Orange Blossom Truffles (p. 60).
For readers who like their cooking language un-salty (pun intended, sorry-not-sorry), fair warning, the author has a take-no-prisoners wild west voice and attitude in her writing. There is no quarter given for pearl clutching. If the 'f-bomb' shocks and dismays, then be forewarned. On the other hand, I have never in my life seen such a comprehensive catalog of the chocolatier's art outside of strictly professional books meant for culinary professionals.
This is a big book with a big voice and insanely appealing photography. Five stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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