Belgian Chocolates, by Roger Geerts
Is there anything more fun than making chocolates? This book is an absolute gem – I have tried so many of these recipes, with consistently wonderful results.
Roger Geerts uses a lot of butter, glucose, and fondant in his fillings, which means these recipes are quite sweet and have a high fat content. It is worth it, though – the flavors are incredible. His recipes ALWAYS work, and he covers a very wide range with detailed precision. After explaining basic recipes and techniques, Roger takes us through a wide range of dipped chocolates, truffles, moulded chocolates, fruit candies, liqueurs and confectionaries, as well as great information about caramelizing and candying – and more – jellies and ganaches and marzipans – Yum!
It is not just the information that is stellar – it is the presentation. Here is a page from the book, for simple and tasty milk chocolates:
Notice how detailed it is – you get a complete list of ingredients and tools, precise instructions and illustrations for each step, and important comments giving you a ‘heads-up’ about possible pitfalls in making these tasty treats.
l just love this book – it has taught me to do things that I would definitely not have learned elsewhere, is creative, useful, and bursting with information. 5 stars out of 5 for certain!