Product Description

Chocolate and candy making today is undergoing a renaissance in public awareness and status. This comprehensive book combines artisan confectionery techniques with accessible explanations of the theory and science as well as formulas for use in production. Fundamental information for the confectioner includes ingredient function and use, chocolate processing, and artisan production techniques. The book contains 140 formulas and variations for beautiful confections, including dairy–based centers, crystalline and noncrystalline sugar confectionery, jellies, and nut center and aerated confections.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #28589 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 400 pages

From the Inside Flap
Candymaking is in the midst of a revolution. The public is increasingly hungry for hand–crafted chocolates and confections, heightening appreciation for the work of artisan confectioners who use traditional techniques and fine ingredients. Now, master confectioner Peter Greweling of The Culinary Institute of America has at lastproduced the bible of artisan confectionery—a comprehensive guide to the ingredients, theory, techniques, and formulas needed to create every kind of chocolate and confection.

Illustrated throughout with nearly 200 striking full–color photographs and illustrations, Chocolates & Confections provides a comprehensive foundation in confectionery, offering accessible explanations of theory as well as illustrated step–by–step guidance on technique, from tempering chocolate to candying fruit. It also includes helpful charts that pinpoint common candy–making pitfalls and how to avoid them, guides to the best quality chocolate and other all–natural confectionery ingredients, as well as information on packaging and storage.

Chocolates & Confections features chapters on every confectionery type—cream ganache, butter ganache, non–crystalline sugar confections, crystalline sugar confections, jellies, aerated confections, and nut centers—and includes nearly 150 formulas for classic confections, such as marzipan made using fresh almonds, as well as contemporary variations such as Madras, a coconut curry butter ganache. From truffles, butter ganache confections, hard candies, brittles, toffee, caramels, and taffy to fondants, fudges, gummies, candied fruit, marshmallows, divinity, nougat, marzipan, gianduja, and rochers, it demonstrates how to produce world–class confections and provides the in–depth background information candy–makers need to formulate their own signature creations.

From the Back Cover
"A passionate professional, Peter understands the philosophy of using only the freshest of ingredients to create chocolate edible works of art that arouse your senses."
—Norman Love, Chef and President, Norman Love Confections

"Peter Greweling has written the right book at the right time. Pastry chefs need to understand chocolate in greater depth than ever before; Chocolates and Confections provides that understanding with admirable lucidity."
—Robert Steinberg, Co–founder; Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker

"The most complete chocolate and confections book that I have come across in my 35 years in the business… complete with great traditional and innovative recipes, easy–to–follow explanations, and great pictures."
—Biagio Settepani, Pasticceria Bruno

"This insightful book can be regarded as the Bible for serious chocolate artisans or for anyone who wishes to become one. Peter Greweling has written this book with so much thought and intelligence."
—Dieter G. Schorner CMB, CHE, Professor at the Culinary Institute of America

"Peter Greweling has taken the complexities of confectionery and chocolate technology and reduced them to an easy–to–understand subject. His complete explanations of his formulae and methods are easy to follow."
—Terry Richardson, Richardson Researches, Inc.

"Chef Grewling has covered the subject! The formulas are formatted in a most practical way while imparting artistry and wisdom."
—Thalia Hohenthal, Sr. Scientist, Research & Development, Guittard Chocolate Company

"An excellent book that not only tells you how to make a wide variety of chocolates and confections, but also explains the theory and equipment needed."
—Mel Warnecke, Warnecke Technical, Inc.

About the Author
PETER P. GREWELING is a professor of baking and pastry arts at The Culinary Institute of America and a Certified Master Baker. He has worked as a pastry chef at a number of restaurants, including New York City′s Tavern on the Green, and has extensive training in confectionery technology. Greweling was part was part of the CIA faculty team that won the grand prize of the Société Culinaire Philanthropique′s New York Culinary Salon in 1996 and 1997.

Founded in 1946, THE CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA is an independent, not–for–profit college offering bachelor′s and associate degrees in culinary arts and baking and pastry arts. Courses for foodservice professionals are offered at the college′s main campus in Hyde Park, New York, and at its additional campus for continuing education, The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, in St. Helena, California.

Customer Reviews

Everything you need to know about confections.
This book is an invaluable resource on all things confections. It starts with several chapters on the process of making chocolates. This covers in details how chocolate is made from bean to bar, followed swiftly by details of all the main methods of tempering chocolate. Then the fun really starts with lots of information on making ganache and the ratios required. But wait, the book doesn't just stop with chocolate, it then goes into great details of all confections, hard candies, jellies, everything a sweet makers heart could desire.

The majority of books that I've found on making chocolates have been American and, as such, the measurements have often been in cups requiring extra work to transform to metric. This book has all recipes in three forms, metric, imperial and a ratio column . The ratio column being in percentage so you can have a starting point to when you want to increase or decrease the batch size (as the book says however you will need to experiment when you change batch sizes but at least you get to try the results).

The book is written in a thoroughly engaging way and I recommend it to all would be chocolate makers or any confection maker. It's a most valuable resource.

An invaluable source of information
I'm a pretty good cook but I had never dared to tackle making chocolates until recently.

It was one of two books I bought to help me into the world of the amateur chocolatier and thank goodness it was. With detailed information on not only the 'how' but also the 'why' of every step of making chocolates this book has given me the insight, inspiration and courage to produce my own handmade chocolates, including how to make the various centres I'd only ever tasted in shop bought sweets before.

This book includes easily followed recipes and sumptuous photography that you'd want your own confections to match. The science in making confectionery is also explained and this information is what has helped me, so far, avoid making any huge mistakes. A brief mention is made of the tools required to achieve the desired results, although one or two of them are actually quite pricey and more the purview of the professional confectioner or really ardent (not to mention cash rich) amateurs.

What makes me rate this book 5 stars is it's breadth of coverage - it not only details chocolate making but also jellies, hard candy and even starch moulding (I've figured out how to make jelly babies now!!) and this has meant I've been able to branch out into confections I hadn't even considered before.

A great place to start from, then, and an ever present reference now I'm becoming more experienced in confectionery. The price is totally justified - this is a must buy for every amateur confectioner or those seriously considering starting in this career path.