Fran Bigelow Pure Chocolate
Review by Chocolate-adorer and critic ('oh yes, please') J. Zimmerman

	*Pure Chocolate* by Fran Bigelow. See also our chocolate page and our Chocolate Taste Tests: Chocolate Taste Test method by Chantal Cody. The Two Chloés: plain chocolate bars taste test. The Two Chloés: Vosges chocolate bars taste test. The Two Chloés: Zotter chocolate bars taste test.
	Real Chocolate : Sweet and Savory Recipes for Nature's Purest Form of Bliss by Chantal Coady. Includes 50 delicious recipes from a leading campaigner for REAL chocolate. Try her Chocolate bombe Chocolate nemesis revisited and Bad Girl's Trifle.
	Je'oan D'ark Limoncello Truffles. Alice Medrich on chocolate. Fran Bigelow on chocolate. François Payard on chocolate. Mort Rosenblum on chocolate.

Pure Chocolate

A practical book packed with versatile and adaptable recipes: a delight.

See p. 193 for her approach to Tempering chocolate:

Melt finely chopped dark (56% preferred) chocolate; heat (stirring) till about half-melted; then remove from heat.
Stir (off heat) till all melted and smooth.
Return to heat; raise up to to 115°; take care not to exceed 120°.
Remove from heat; stir in the reserve (about 20% by weight) chocolate, also finely chopped. Stir (off heat) till all melted and smooth.
Continue stirring till the chocolate cools to 82°-84°. THIS CAN TAKE 15-30 MINUTES.
Gently warm over barely simmering water for about 10 seconds, to warm gently to 88°; it is crucial not to exceed 90°.
See her book for more on testing for temper and working with tempered chocolate.

"Introduction."
"Everything you need to know about chocolate."
"Amazing cookies and brownies." WOW: p. 44 for her White-Chocolate Coconut Cream Bars.
"Tortes, with and without flour."
"Elegant tarts."
"Celebration cakes and holiday specialties."
"Sumptuous cheesecakes, puddings, and custards."
"Chilled spectaculars."
"Silken dessert sauces."
"Five beverages and a snack."
"Truffles and other fine chocolates."
"Building blocks."
"Sources."
"Index."

Remember that the better DADA (Defense Against the Dark Arts) professors in The Harry Potter Books administer chocolate for recovery of strength.
The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse by Robert Rankin (2002).
See also our blog for The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse
More puns than Nostradamus Ate My Hamster and an even better plot than my previous favorite, The Fandom of the Operator. A serial killer is mowing down the famous elite of Toy Town (now grown into a Toy City) but thanks to a crack[ed] detective team of a 13-year-old boy and Ed, the teddy bear, ... Rankin's work is the love-child of Douglas Adams and Monty Python on a date with Kafka. A lot of fun and drama, thanks especially to Rankin's excellent CD reading.