Title:

Chocolate & Vanilla
(Clarkson Potter, 2006) ISBN 978-0-307-23852-8/ 0-307-23852-0

Theme:

Will that be chocolate or vanilla? Gale offers chocolate tips and recipes on one side of the book. On the other side, she features vanilla.

Sample Recipes:

Best-Ever Fudgy Brownies. Chocolate-Dipped Peanut Butter Balls. White Chocolate Sherbet. On the flip-side: Vanilla Malteds. Vanilla Butter Caramels. Lemon-Vanilla Pound Cake.

Notable Elements:

This book is a primer on chocolate, from beans to processed versions like bittersweet, milk, white, nibs and pistoles. Likewise it covers vanilla from beans to extract, powder and sugar. You learn about chocolate and vanilla, how to store and work with them. There are 32 recipes for dark, semi-sweet, milk, white chocolate and 28 recipes for vanilla beans and vanilla extract.

Tone / Style:

You sense Gale Gand's excitement as she describes the history and manufacture of the raw ingredients. Each recipe is accompanied by a description, simple and straight-forward directions and tips on what to do-ahead.

Visuals:

Excellent photos, sandwiched in the middle of the book, depict only about a third of the recipes. It's a shame that there isn't a photo for each one. They look so good, they're almost edible!

Contents:

Vanilla

• Introduction to Vanilla
• A Brief History of the Vanilla Bean
• From Pod to Bean
• Buying Vanilla
• Working with Vanilla
• Vanilla Beans
  • Sour Cream Ice Cream
  • Cherries in Port over Vanilla Ice Cream
  • Frozen-Poached Stone Fruit
  • Creme Anglaise with Peaches and Berries
  • Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Strawberry Mash
  • Limoncello Strawberries with Sour Cream and Vanilla Sugar
  • Late-Night Vanilla Flan
  • Creme Legere with Macerated Peaches
  • Mary's Butterballs
  • Eclairs with Coffee Glaze
  • Chouquettes with Pearl Sugar
  • Vanilla-Scented Peach Tarte Tatin
  • Vanilla Charlotte
• Vanilla Extract
  • Vanilla Malteds
  • Vanilla Butter Caramels
  • Ladyfingers with Strawberries and Cream
  • Lisa's Almond Macaroons
  • Vita's Ricotta Doughnuts
  • Mini Black-and-Whites
  • Vanilla-Blueberry Crumb Cake
  • Lemon-Vanilla Pound Cake
  • Individual Lemon-Vanilla Pudding Cakes
  • Boston Cream Cupcakes
  • Golden Vanilla Layer Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting
  • Baked Ricotta Custards with Raspberry Mint Salad
  • Dessert French Toast
  • Vanilla and Orange-Scented Caramel Sauce

Chocolate

• Introduction to Chocolate
• A Brief History of the Cacao Bean
• From Bean to Bar
• Buying Chocolate
• Working with Chocolate
• Dark (Bittersweet) Chocolate
  • Best-Ever Fudgy Brownies
  • Black and White Cream Cheese Brownies
  • Deep Chocolate Shortbread
  • Mocha Panna Cotta
  • Hot Chocolate Pudding
  • Mexican Hot Chocolate Fondue
  • Guanaja Sherbet
  • Chocolate Crepes Filled with Chocolate Mousse
  • Chocolate Babka
• Semi-Sweet Chocolate
  • Cocoa "Cup" Cakes
  • Chocolate-Almond Upside-Down Cake
  • Chocolate-Praline Cake in a jar
  • Chocolate Fudge Soccer Cakes
  • Cream Cheese-Stuffed Chocolate Cupcakes
  • Heart Throbs with Marshmallow Filling
  • Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins
  • Chocolate Waffles with Banana Ganache
  • Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Thumbprints
  • Chocolate Madeleines
  • Creamy Dreamy Walnut Fudge
  • Hot Fudge Sundaes
• Light and Milk Chocolate
  • Chocolate-Dipped Peanut Butter Balls
  • Peanut Butter Cocoa Crisp Treats
  • Icebox Pinwheel Cookies
  • Lily's Marble Cake
  • Individual Chocolate Pavlovas
  • Milk Chocolate Star Anise Creme Brulee Spoonfuls
• White Chocolate
  • White and Dark Chocolate S'Mores
  • White Chocolate-Dipped Currant Shortbread
  • Chocolate "Burgers" with White Chocolate Filling
  • White Chocolate Sherbet
  • Easy White Chocolate-Grapefruit Mousse with Chocolate Phyllo

Author:

Gale Gand with Lisa Weiss

Claim to fame:

Gale Gand is a James Beard Award-winner, author of six cookbooks, daily TV baking show host, executive pastry chef and partner of famed restaurant Tru in Chicago, owner of a root beer company and producer of a line of bakeware.

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