Pure Chocolate: Divine Desserts and Sweets from the Creator of Fran’s Chocolates

Publishers Information

About Pure Chocolate: Divine Desserts and Sweets from the Creator of Fran’s Chocolates

Publisher Web Link: http://www.randomhouse.com/crown/clarksonpotter/index.php

The most stylish, approachable, and mouth-watering chocolate cookbook ever, from award-winning chocolatier Fran Bigelow

In 1982, Fran Bigelow proudly opened the doors to Fran’s Chocolates, a boutique storefront styled after European chocolate salons, where she could showcase the pure flavors of the exquisite confections she had spent years perfecting. Chocolate lovers in Seattle immediately beat a path to Madison Street to taste desserts as wonderful as anything in Paris or Belgium. Over the past two decades, Fran Bigelow has grown into a world-class chocolatier, operating two elegant shops that enjoy cult status in Seattle and beyond, by way of her mail-order and Internet business.

Now, in her debut cookbook, Fran reveals the magic behind her addictive creations: how she manipulates a few ingredients—butter, cream, eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla, and nuts—to create sublime textures and highlight pure flavors in her elegant modern desserts. The seventy-five recipes included here range from extravagant celebration cakes and holiday specialties (White Chocolate Torte or Souffléd Chocolate Mocha Roll); to European style fruit and nut tarts (Chocolate Cherry Tart or Milk Chocolate Crème Fraîche Tart), soufflés, cheesecakes (White Chocolate Brie Cheesecake, a Fran specialty), homemade ice creams (Dark Chocolate and Ginger Bombe), and extraordinary renditions of American classics, including brownies, chocolate cookies, the ultimate hot fudge sauce, and a chocolate milkshake that will instantly transport you back to childhood.

Fran also tells you everything you need to know about chocolate, from the different styles of chocolate-making employed in Europe, South America, and the U.S. (and how each result in different flavors), to deciphering labels (which ingredients enhance meltability, for example), and how the amount of cocoa in different brands and styles of chocolate influences the final taste of a dessert. You will learn how to taste a truffle—preferably in two bites—and the language of chocolate “signs,” the squiggles atop candies. Recipes for some of Fran’s award-winning confections are also included here: chocolate cherries and nut clusters; chocolate stuffed fruits; easy cocoa-dusted truffles; and more ambitious dipped truffles featuring liqueurs, coffee, vanilla, and other chocolate-friendly ingredients; and chocolate fondue, a perfect party dessert for children and adults alike.

Whether you are a cocoa connoisseur or devotee of the cacao bean with cravings that won’t quit, Pure Chocolate is a must-have for any chocolate aficionado.

Author Information

About Fran Bigelow

Author Web Link: http://www.franschocolates.com/home.php?xid=536c8b305ed23c0eb23e8678be3b281c

It has been said that the passion of an artist is found deep within the soul. It is what separates those who settle for good from those who are compelled to see greatness and seek perfection.

These artists have a quiet obsession and intense dedication to create the exceptional. It is soft and subtle, and is rarely noticed upon first glance. It’s only as the art begins to unfold that you get an inkling of the magic taking place before your eyes.

For the lucky few who have met Fran Bigelow, you’ll find that underneath her warm and engaging exterior lies both a great artist and a master chocolatier. Her love of chocolate is intense, and her pursuit of the extraordinary is evident. A feast for all your senses, her chocolates are sublime and the hand packaging of her confections is almost as delicious.

She is also a person who loves to celebrate. She celebrates life and the pursuit of joy in any given situation, regardless of a specific occasion. From the way the chocolates are presented in the gorgeous gift boxes to savoring the first bite of one of her creations, each element is truly infused with love, care and consideration. And it’s why Fran’s has become a key component to so many thoughtful exchanges, joyful declarations, special occasions and countless other celebrations.

A visit to Paris inspired this European-like passion for pure flavors and simple, yet exquisite ingredients. She opened her first patisserie and chocolate shop twenty-five years ago to share that philosophy of joie-de-vivre. Many confections later, she has been credited for sparking the artisan chocolate renaissance in the United States, and is considered one of the best chocolatiers in the nation. Her pursuit of maintaining the purity of chocolate and pairing it with only the finest ingredients has been an inspiration to both chocolate artisans, and aficionados alike.

From the tantalizing light ganache found in her luscious truffles, to the bold, and slightly addictive gray and smoked salt caramels, take a moment to note the textures and harmonious flavors that layer themselves, one on top of the other. It is the magic of this experience that compels Fran’s to continue to seek the extraordinary.

Cookbooks by Fran Bigelow

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Pure Chocolate: Divine Desserts and Sweets from the Creator of Fran’s Chocolates

by Fran Bigelow