Chocolate American Style [Hardcover]

"No one should try to do any serious work with chocolate without reading this book or another equally good book on the subject. One of the first things you learn in this book is that there are as many, if not more subtleties and ambiguities in the marketing of chocolate as there are in just about any other basic food product such as flour or olive oil."

This book has an equally skillful introduction to dealing with chocolate. I even believe this book is a better introduction to working with chocolate than the title from Ms. Medrich due to Ms. Brody's exceptional ability to explain potentially difficult techniques. She is especially candid in saying that the first time you try some techniques like tempering chocolate, you may simply not succeed. But, she insists that you keep trying and with due diligence, you will succeed. This combination of clarity and honesty is worth a lot.

This book is similar to Gale Gand's book 'short + sweet' in the way it finds a place for itself in your daily family activities with partner and kids. It is also similar to Karen Baker's new book 'Sweet Stuff' in its claiming to evoke a homegrown, American style of chocolate. All three books are worthy purchases that largely meet their objectives. But, they are not the kind of book which grabs you by the lapels and shakes you up with it's enthusiasm or insights or inspiration like, for example Wayne Harley Brachman's 'American Desserts' or Sherry Yard's extraordinary new book 'The Secrets of Baking'.

The first crack in the premise of 'Chocolate American Style' is the suggestion that Americans eat more chocolate than anyone else in the world. I just saw a statistic that indicates the English eat three times more chocolate then we colonists eat. Another lapse in the book's premise comes when the author devotes an entire chapter 'Old World - New World' to chocolate laden versions of European classics such as Mandelbrot, Rugelach, Biscotti, Scones, Panini, and the quintessentially Austrian Linzer Torte. Various other recipes also cite French inspirations and how they can show us colonials a thing or two. The final indignity is the recipe devised to immortalize Russell Crowe, which incorporates as many Australian products as the author could fit into one recipe.

Like Karen Baker's 'American' baking book, a whole lot of the recipes in this book are author's originals rather than traditional American classics. In fact, one reality of contemporary cookbooks peeks out from some pages of this book in that it becomes clear that a lot of the recipes in the book are neither traditionally American nor written by the nominal author. Several recipes are original contributions by Susan Schwartz who is primarily credited in the Acknowledgments with Emmy Clausing as someone who researched, tested, and fine-tuned recipes.

None of these pet peeves diminish the quality of the book. It is not the best book you can get on chocolate, but it is very good in general and especially good for working with families. Like Gale Gand's book, it includes a chapter of recipes specifically written for kids to make. This alone may be worth the price of admission. In fact, it would have been much more appropriate to entitle the book 'Chocolate Family Style'. The kids chapter includes recipes such as chocolate-covered graham crackers, chocolate cereal treats, peanut butter cups, and chocolate caramel popcorn. Makes you glad that chocolate is actually good for you. All the recipes taste very, very good and the author has a genuine, well-recognized talent for communicating them to you.

The book does include a number of genuine American classic recipes such as chocolate chip cookies, ice cream cakes, and chocolate ice cream sundaes. Yes, the book also includes recipes for ice cream.

Recommended. Some recipes are tough going simply because chocolate is just downright finicky. The author gives you the confidence to believe it will all come out in the end.

This book, however, is a tantalising work of art, and indeed literature. I have been reading it compulsively since I got it a few days ago. I have tried several of the amazing recipes and they are even better than imagined. I fell priveleged to share the recipes that the author has collected over her wondrous career. BUY IT!!