The Art and Craft of Chocolate by Nathan Hodge

The Art and Craft of Chocolate by Nathan Hodge ISBN-13: 9781631594663 Paperback: 160 pages Publisher: Quarry Books Released: Aug. 21, 2018

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
In The Art and Craft of Chocolate, world-renowned chocolatier Nathan Hodge takes you on a grand tour of chocolate—from its processing, history, and trade to how it's made, bean to bar. The book includes the basic principles of chocolate-making at home and recipes for traditional moles, drinks, baked goods, rubs, and more.

An expert in the bean-to-bar movement and a leader in sustainable chocolate sourcing, Hodge introduces the concept of bean to bar chocolate—a process that starts with whole cocoa beans, which are roasted, ground, and smoothed into chocolate—and discusses sustainability and social consciousness, along with his own chocolate making philosophy.


My Review:
The Art and Craft of Chocolate provided a brief history of chocolate and an overview of how chocolate bars are made, from growing the tree to the finished product. There were photographs showing the various stages of processing the bean and the equipment that's used. In side boxes, the author suggested some ways that a person could process cocoa beans in their home to create their own chocolate. However, it sounds very time intensive and unlikely to provide good results unless you buy some specialized equipment. At the end, the author provided 25 recipes which add cocoa powder or nibs to various dishes. Overall, I'd recommend this book to those interested in learning about how chocolate is made.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


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