Great for Truffles and Caramels

books:


	• Truffles, Candies, and Confections: Techniques and Recipes for Candymaking Carole Bloom Ten Speed Press, 2005 - 230 pages average customer review:based on 5 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

What? No Fondants?

I feel that this cookbook is missing a couple of important candy genres. Although it does include two recipes for marzipan, a rare phenomenon in the world of American candy books, there is no mention of hard candies other than nut brittles, and perhaps even more surprisingly, there are no fondant recipes. I consider fondant to be one of the cornerstones of candymaking, and lovely though this book may be, I can't help but feel cheated by its misleadingly wide-ranging title. It does, however, boast an extensive section on truffles, and the technique chapter at the beginning of the book sports an exceptionally thorough and unique explanation of chocolate tempering and how one holds a temper. If you already have a collection of candy books that covers all the bases, ¨Truffles, Candies and Confections¨ is a nice addition. But if you're looking for an introduction to candy making in general, this is not it.

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Super candy book for everyone.

This is the best book that I have ever bought on candy making. It is clear and very easy to use--and the recipes are all my favorites. I really like the chocolate truffles that Carole does and the peanut brittle is the best I have ever had. I am going to make everything in this book, over and over again :).

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Great for Truffles and Caramels

Carole's book is good not only for great chocolates, truffles, and more, but also for confection such as homemade vanilla caramels -- a recipe which went over tremendously well in my household!

Candy Making at Home

For those who want to make candy in their kitchen at home, this book is the only game in town. In spite of some shortcomings, I do recommend it for the dedicated home cook. There are a number of older candy books, but are mostly out of print and date back 50 years or more; as such, they do not reflect current abilities or tastes. This book is the only complete one on confectionery I can think of published in recent years. This is a reprint of the original published in 1992.

This book does a good job of representing those candies that people want these days. When they think of confectionery, they mainly are thinking of chocolate truffles and clusters; consequently, the first half of the book is devoted to just that. The second half contains chapters on caramel, brittles and marzipan, fudge and nougat, and fruit. The recipe instructions are well described and easy to follow. The sections on ingredients, techniques, and equipment are also important, as these subjects in older candy books are out of date and mostly worthless.

There were some shortcomings, however. The description on tempering chocolate is brief, and leaves out many details. I object to the many ministrations that chocolate be put into the refrigerator. Many of the recipes in the second half call for hot sugar to be cooked to 240 degrees and beyond. This is the most dangerous thing in the kitchen to do (even more dangerous that deep-frying in oil), yet there are no instructions on how to do this safely. This subject by itself would need a section 3 or 4 pages by itself. There should also be more information on the difference between milk, white, and semi-sweet chocolates and the various brands.

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Instructions Lack Detail

I've enjoyed making many of the recipes out of this book, but have found that the instructions lack detail and are sometimes inaccurate, requiring the reader to fill in the gaps. This is ok if you're willing to try out the recipe several times, inventing the instructions on your own.

Otherwise, the variety of recipes covers many candy-making genres, and the book is a good starting point for those getting into candy making.

Guided by Carole Bloom?s so clear, so simple you?ll-kick-yourself-for-not-doing-this-sooner instructions, you?ll be on your way to making batches of some of the 90-plus treats found in TRUFFLES, CANDIES, AND CONFECTIONS in no time. Featuring Orange Chocolate Truffles, Vanilla Cream Caramels, Raspberry-Almond Squares, Espresso Hazelnut Fudge, and much more, this revised and expanded edition includes an updated introduction covering ingredients (buying and handling), equipment, techniques, ideas for packaging gifts, and the author?s special, trademarked tasting chart. Using tools found in most kitchens (you don?t even need a double boiler) and ingredients found at most grocery stores (including gourmet chocolate these days), you can start your own candy-making tradition. Don?t waste another calorie on store-bought, mass-produced candy?learn to make your own and never look back.

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