Chocolates and Confections: Formula, Theory, and Technique for the Artisan Confectioner

Contents of book: cream ganaches (liquor, orange, amaretti, chai, pear, passion vanilla, habanos, hazelnut latte, etc...) , butter ganache (gingerbread, orange, raspberry, lemon, etc...), hard candies (caramels, taffies, soft caramels, toffees, etc...), sugar candies (cherry cordials, different fudges, etc...) , jellied candies (candied fruits, jellies...), and nougats.Incredible comprehensive book. Greweling takes a scientific approch to chocolate making, so you get all the science behind the everything. In that way, it is similar to a textbook.In terms of techniques, this book is a rigorous as you will find. For instance, the technique of molding chocolates is described in 18 steps and 9 pictures. Chocolate molding and dipping defects are described over 3 pages. Preventing 'broken' ganches are described over 5 pages. It talks about freezing. And so on.In terms of recipes, extremely comprehensive. 28 cream ganache recipes, 11 butter ganache. And that's only up to p173 out of 375. Because of the emphasis on technique and science, this book teaches you to teach yourself. That's the real beauty of the book.On top of it all, the photography is beautiful.In terms of difficulty level, I think it's for all levels. A true beginner can skip through the science and just just try out a few recipes. An advanced chocolatier can still find useful information in the tips and recipes. In terms of ingredients, some of the ingredients in some recipes are tough to find for beginners (invert sugar, invertase, co2 cartridges), but a beginner can still pick through and find a recipe to make.Must have for the serious chocolatier. Compared to other books, Jean-Pierre Wybauw's book is similar in its 'science and technical' nature, covering similar but not always exactly the same stuff. These two books are complementary, and both excellent. It is also complementary to Shott's book, which is less scientific and slightly less on technique, but has very nice recipes and a little cheaper.

This book is outstanding. It explains most all details involved in the candy making process. From chapters on ingredients and what function they have to chapters on confection foundations, enabling the reader to become creative with the recipes while keeping the integrity of the preparation. The candy recipes are good and make a excellent American/European standard repetoire. I made a contemporary BonBon, ruby chocolate with pistachio gianduja filling that is playfully indulgent. There is no recipe for it in the book but the book teaches you to create your own. The book is created for professionals but it is easely accessible to most people.

I'm always a little put off by buying books online without being able to flick through, but this book is amazing! The color photos, and the information it gives on making delicious chocolate is well worth the cost! It is so beautifully written and photographed it's almost like you are right there in a candy makers kitchen with all of the secret recipes they use! If you have ever thought about making fancy chocolate candy creations to wow your guests then this is the book. It explains everything and if you have basic skills in the kitchen you too can make great candy with this book as a guide. I bought it for incorporating the recipes and designs into my own baking business some day. If you use what they have and experament you can take chocolatiering to a whole new level! Absolute beauty and taste all wrapped up into one! I recommend this book to anyone who loves a fine chocolate!

I wanted to get just one book on this subject which would give me all the info I needed to make professional quality products and this book is exactly what I needed. The information is clear and easy to understand as a beginner but gives quality results any professional would be proud of.This book covers every sort of confection I've ever heard of and many that I haven't. I made nougat and found the instructions really detailed but also easy to understand. The result was delicious and actually tasted better than store bought varieties.I have nothing bad to say about this book, it's brilliant and is the only guide to making confecions you should ever need whether you are a beginner or a seasoned professional.

This is the best book available for any artisan confectioner, from beginner to seasoned professional. No other book has even come close in its level of detail about the theory and practice of artisan confectionery. Too many confectioners know how to make their products, but they have no idea WHY what they do works. This book explains it all, in brilliant and relatively easy to understand detail. The recipes give good examples, and the photography is excellent. Even better, the cost is far less than most professional level culinary reference books (which commonly run over a hundred dollars).This book should be on every confectioner's shelf as his/her primary reference work.

First step, find the 4 people who gave this book on 4 star reviews and wonder what they are thinking? What does it take to be 5 stars in their reviews?I'm just a beginner. I made chocolates from internet recipes and other books. They were good. The candy in this book is great. I have yet to make a recipe that didn't turn out great. I have had to learn a bunch of new ingredients, and where to find them, but the results are great. If only I could find HFCS 42 easily. Confused about comments about complicated recipes, you are making 3 dimensional objects and that is lots harder than cookies and cakes. Most recipes have 5 or 7 ingredients, short in my baking world.Recommended.