Everyday Chocolate - Everyday Cookery > Reviews (1)

Everyday Chocolate

I adore chocolate as I find it so satisfying and indulgent although I have to moderate my intake as otherwise my bathroom scales would be going into overdrive. As many people are aware, this delicious creamy confectionary contains an amino acid named tryptophan, which is used by the brain to create serotonin that subsequently makes us happy. I’m sure there are many that could benefit from a chocolate overdose as so many people these days seem to be walking around with faces to their feet!

I’ve always enjoyed cooking and something that has always stuck in my mind since my school days was being so very proud of the first dessert that I created and my feelings of sheer excitement as I couldn’t wait to take it home to my parents. However, the extremely overweight cookery teacher decided to sample all of our cooking that day and she poked her sausage sized finger into my dessert, stuck it in her mouth and then proceeded to gorge on the next pupil’s culinary delight! I had never been able to look at an apple pie in the same way again and years later the memories came flooding back when I saw that warm apple pie in the comedy film American Pie! Anyway, onto the book I am reviewing, which bears a hard cover and is named Everyday Chocolate.

It is very rare that I shop in Sainsburys, but on the occasions that I visit I like to browse through all of their cookery books and it was this book that caught my eager eye a few years ago due to its enticing cover. The book is pocket sized and is probably half the size of an A5 sheet. I only have to see the word “chocolate” and I’m drawn in, but to have the words “everyday” chocolate on the cover is an absolute dream although it should really be accompanied with some information on Weight Watchers or the joys of undergoing liposuction.

Let me introduce you to a world of sheer indulgence

The book is protected by a glossy paper sleeve to match the cover of the actual book and contains 240 pages of sheer indulgence. We are initially introduced to the world of chocolate and learn of its origins before we are whisked into the colourful pages of sheer indulgence and sugar overload. The book is broken down into chapters where we are provided with the most mouth watering images of puddings, cakes, tortes and chocolates to name just a few. Each recipe covers two pages with the image located on the right hand side and the easy to follow recipe on the left. My favourites are those that use dark chocolate or white chocolate and the book most definitely covers many recipes to satisfy the cravings.

A point I have found very helpful is that we are advised how many people each recipe will feed, which I would hasten to add is absolute nonsense with me when it comes to chocolate! A requirement for me when purchasing cookery books is that each recipe must display an image as I lack inspiration when following simple text. However, in the case of a book consisting of chocolate recipes this isn’t the best idea for me as they are far too tempting.

Fortunately, the pages are easily wiped down with a dampened cloth should your mouth water resulting in a dribble.

Whilst I would love to create all of the delights contained within this book on a regular basis, for obviously reasons I cannot. However, when friends and families visit out comes my Everyday Chocolate book where my magic fingers have produced some delicious treats such as lemon and chocolate tart and the warm molten-centred chocolate cupcakes, which are displayed on the front of the book. The recipes are so simple to follow and even a novice like me can create some masterpieces. I admit I’m not the world’s best cook as my choux pastry is the worst ever and after half a dozen or so attempts my hubby will never be coerced to try it again.

It would have been extremely beneficial if the book had provided calorie details for each recipe, but I suppose this would be a deterrent as some of the menus are so very sweet due to their additional toppings. I like the idea of making my own chocolates and we are provided with a host of recipes at the end of the book such as easy chocolate fudge, mini chocolate cones and chocolate liqueurs. The good thing about all of the recipes is that you do not need to be a master chef to create the dishes and many can be produced by children with a little help from their parents.

The ingredients used are not complicated although I cannot admit to having a kitchen cupboard containing the necessary items, such as vanilla pods, chocolate blocks and double cream. However, they are all easy to find in the supermarkets unlike some recipes I’d hoped to try in the past with their lists of unrecognisable ingredients. I cannot state that the recipes are complicated and the majority tend to use only a handful of ingredients, so they are quickly created. The index at the end of the book is helpful as it lists each of the recipes contained within the book. This is a book I’ve used time and time again, but not regularly due to the fact that both my husband and I watch our weight and because he’s a type 1 diabetic. There is something to suit everyone in the book, which contains over 100 delicious and easy to follow recipes and I can highly recommend it.

Price and availability

I’m sure I paid around £3 for my copy from Sainsburys several years ago. I have checked online for a price and would advise that at the time of writing Amazon are selling this book from £3.99 plus £2.80 postage and packing, which seems a little too pricey for me. Consequently, I would check out stores such as The Works as their books are very reasonably priced.

I hope you found my review useful and thanks for reading.

ISBN – 978-1-4-54-9395-6

Unfortunately, there are no details within the book indicating the name of the author

Published by Parragon Books Ltd 2007

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