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Bittersweet: Recipes and Tales from a Life in Chocolate
It is hard, today, to imagine a time when the word bittersweet was rarely spoken, when 70 percent of the chocolate purchased by Americans was milk chocolate. Today's world of chocolate is a much larger universe, where not only is the quality better and variety wider, but the very composition of the chocolate has changed. To do justice to these new chocolates, which contain more pure chocolate and less sugar, we need a fresh approach to chocolate desserts a new kind of recipe and someone to crack the code for substituting one chocolate for another in both new and classic recipes. Alice Medrich, the "First Lady of Chocolate," delivers. With nearly 150 recipes each delicious and foolproof, no matter your level of expertise BitterSweet answers every chocolate question, teaches every technique, confides every secret, satisfies every craving. You'll marvel that recipes as basic as brownies and chocolate cake, mint chocolate chip ice cream and chocolate mousse, can still surprise and excite you, and that souffles, chocolate panna cotta, even pasta sauces can be so dramatically flavorful. For the last thirty years, Alice Medrich has been learning, teaching, and sharing what she loves and understands about chocolate. BitterSweet is the culmination of her life in chocolate thus far: revolutionary recipes, profound knowledge, and charming tales of a chocolate life."
Currently out of print.
Currently out of print.
378 pages, Hardcover
First published November 18, 2003
3 people are currently reading
332 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
February 25, 2009
My friend Lyn owns this book, and I've spent some time perusing it at her house. When I found it on the half-off cookbook rack at Central Market, I had to take it home with me. For about five minutes, I considered giving it to my mom, and then I opened it and realized she'd have to buy her own copy if she wanted it. It's part scientific guide about the different types of chocolate, part memoir about Medrich's own awakening to her chocoholism, part experimental text (chocolate and greens, anyone?), part well-tested baking book, and part love story. Love of chocolate that is.
I've been reading the book for a few weeks, making a couple of things here and there, and last Saturday Annie and I had a brownie-baking taste test where we baked two of the brownie recipes from the book and tried them side-by-side. The kids prefer the cocoa brownies, which are impossibly smooth and fudgy, but I like the slight crunch of the brownies made with unsweetened chocolate. But no one turned down either variety. I think we'll try ice cream next. Yum.
I've been reading the book for a few weeks, making a couple of things here and there, and last Saturday Annie and I had a brownie-baking taste test where we baked two of the brownie recipes from the book and tried them side-by-side. The kids prefer the cocoa brownies, which are impossibly smooth and fudgy, but I like the slight crunch of the brownies made with unsweetened chocolate. But no one turned down either variety. I think we'll try ice cream next. Yum.
March 13, 2017
This is a wonderfully rich story of the author's experiences with Chocolate. It is also an amazing cookbook (meaning I have at least 10 of the recipes that I want to try). I love knowing how/where she acquired a recipe and what she has done to improve it.
I appreciate her documenting of her "experiments" with chocolate and the chocolate recipes. Her CHOCOLATE NOTES at the end of each recipe are extremely helpful.
If you love chocolate, and love cooking with chocolate, this may just be the only book you need.
I appreciate her documenting of her "experiments" with chocolate and the chocolate recipes. Her CHOCOLATE NOTES at the end of each recipe are extremely helpful.
If you love chocolate, and love cooking with chocolate, this may just be the only book you need.
March 31, 2013
I owned this book for about 8 years without baking anything out of it. Just this year I have seen recipes referenced twice in various baking blogs. I dusted it off and tried two recipes which I love. The Real Chocolate Wafers (p. 284) are delicious. I am using them today as a crust for a New York style cheesecake. The Best Cocoa Brownies (p. 95) are easy to make and wonderful. I've stayed away from homemade brownies because the boxed ones are just fine, but these changed my mind.
April 19, 2009
For those who like it dark! I hardly think milk chocolate is worth eating. Fabulous recipes for Queen of Sheba, brownies, and tortes abound! Try the Budini, a baked chocolate pudding, and experience the divine...the amazing thing about this book is how un-complicated most of the recipes are. You can have most of the delictable treats ready in under an hour.
July 1, 2025
Everything you ever wanted to know about chocolate with recipes to prove it.
August 18, 2017
I received the book as a birthday present from my dear friends in AD (Thank you people!!). I was intrigued by its numerous accolades in Amazon: readers hail this book as the authority in chocolate and the writer, an expert. Alice Medrich owns a dessert shop in Berkeley, California and learns her trade in Paris. However, the claim that she grew up with the shortening laden chocolate cakes like so many people in America and, therefore, was enchanted by proper chocolate in Paris worries me. Can it be that the high accolades that she receive are not of the highest of the European standards but that of the lower American ones?
Before I get more judgemental and snobbish, let me get back to the review. Upon receipt, I eagerly flipped through the pages only to be disappointed with its lack of pictures and lots of writings. Some of the informations can easily be found, I'm sure, in the internet because it involves generic topics such as how to measure ingredients for baking and what equipments are required. So this book does stray into other topics and is not so strictly around chocolate.
Her descriptions on everything tend to be tedious. This book is certainly not for novice or unsophisticated baker because she requires the possession of cake decorating turntable and quite insists on melting chocolate in a double boiler. I find microwaving, so far, a suitably fuss-free method and have not yet been tempted to make pretty but pretentious cakes.
The recipes range from traditional yet sophisticated chocolate desserts and snacks to modern fusion-style savoury dishes. As this is not for novice, I have not really explored a lot of the recipes because they get quite fussy which I dislike. As for the savoury dishes, I kid you not, there are recipes of roasted squash soup with cocoa bean cream and coq au vin. Call me an extremist but chocolate is for sweets. At this moment, I refuse to even study the savoury recipes.
Another irritant which is not the fault of this particular book but of all American recipes is the measurements. Instead of using grams, the recipes call for a mix of ounces and cups. That's is quite alright because I don't mind the simplicity of scooping with my measuring cups and spoons. However, how do you stuff butter into tablespoons or measuring cups, especially when it is chilled? A recipe calls for 5 tablespoons of butter and to decode that, I have to do the following:
1 US stick of butter is 113 grams or 8 tablespoons. Therefore 5 tablespoons of butter is 5 multiplies by 113 grams divided by 8 to equal to 70 grams. I have to sit in front of my computer searching for all these conversions. No wonder people install a PC in their kitchen nowadays.
In conclusion, it is a nice book for increasing one's knowledge because her instructions, which sometimes can get pompous and intimidating, can be quite informative. For example, she explains on page 308 the difference in making slice and bake and roll and cut cookies. But for my purpose as a casual baker with fondness for simple treats, I prefer the straightforward Coffee & Bites with its humble brownies, cookies, and muffins.
Before I get more judgemental and snobbish, let me get back to the review. Upon receipt, I eagerly flipped through the pages only to be disappointed with its lack of pictures and lots of writings. Some of the informations can easily be found, I'm sure, in the internet because it involves generic topics such as how to measure ingredients for baking and what equipments are required. So this book does stray into other topics and is not so strictly around chocolate.
Her descriptions on everything tend to be tedious. This book is certainly not for novice or unsophisticated baker because she requires the possession of cake decorating turntable and quite insists on melting chocolate in a double boiler. I find microwaving, so far, a suitably fuss-free method and have not yet been tempted to make pretty but pretentious cakes.
The recipes range from traditional yet sophisticated chocolate desserts and snacks to modern fusion-style savoury dishes. As this is not for novice, I have not really explored a lot of the recipes because they get quite fussy which I dislike. As for the savoury dishes, I kid you not, there are recipes of roasted squash soup with cocoa bean cream and coq au vin. Call me an extremist but chocolate is for sweets. At this moment, I refuse to even study the savoury recipes.
Another irritant which is not the fault of this particular book but of all American recipes is the measurements. Instead of using grams, the recipes call for a mix of ounces and cups. That's is quite alright because I don't mind the simplicity of scooping with my measuring cups and spoons. However, how do you stuff butter into tablespoons or measuring cups, especially when it is chilled? A recipe calls for 5 tablespoons of butter and to decode that, I have to do the following:
1 US stick of butter is 113 grams or 8 tablespoons. Therefore 5 tablespoons of butter is 5 multiplies by 113 grams divided by 8 to equal to 70 grams. I have to sit in front of my computer searching for all these conversions. No wonder people install a PC in their kitchen nowadays.
In conclusion, it is a nice book for increasing one's knowledge because her instructions, which sometimes can get pompous and intimidating, can be quite informative. For example, she explains on page 308 the difference in making slice and bake and roll and cut cookies. But for my purpose as a casual baker with fondness for simple treats, I prefer the straightforward Coffee & Bites with its humble brownies, cookies, and muffins.
August 23, 2007
This is a great cookbook when you want to bake something for a special occasion - recipes are a little more difficult than some and may require unusual ingredients. It's worth it. Favorite recipes from this book are Tiger Cake and Bittersweet Decadence Cookies. Yum!
June 13, 2008
If you are looking for a laid-back, practical approach to learning about and working with chocolate, Alice is the chef for you. This book also contains the best guide to home-tempering chocolate that I have yet to find.
September 5, 2008
This is the best chocolate book I know of. It was recommended to me by my cousin Pat. She lives in Berkley and visits this author's chocolate cafe there.
February 16, 2009
Not quite a memoir, but meatier than a straight cookbook. It'll make you want to eat like 20 bars of good dark chocolate.
September 24, 2011
Just looking at all the different chocolate recipes as I am doing some serious baking soon.
Read
March 2, 2010I made Albert's mousse
May 19, 2010
My interest in exploring this book outlasts it's library renewal period. I like that she talks so much about the chemistry of cooking with chocolate. Will revisit to try some recipes soon.
May 6, 2015
A lot of info about chocolate, but I wish there were more pictures and that they were next to the recipes instead of in separate sections.
March 25, 2011
I just really love to bake and this is an absorbing read on top of it. Borrowed from the library and is a definite "want to buy" now.
January 17, 2013
Every recipe I've tried has been outstanding. I've enjoyed reading her text, too, which is a nice bonus for a cookbook.
October 3, 2013
how can i read this book?
October 8, 2013
Really good information for how to use different kinds of chocolate across recipes
October 29, 2014
B Delicious chocolately recipes; a lot are quite fussy, but she's the chocolate expert. If you have someone in your life who loves chocolate, buy them this book or bake everything out of it.
January 25, 2019
Great recipes.
January 7, 2021
I loved this book. Demystified dealing with chocolate, which can be scary and a bit formidable. Read it cover to cover, rare for me with a cookbook! Loved the memoir aspects. Plan to return to this, like her guidance on safe dealing with sometimes difficult-to-handle chocolate, and guidance on purchasing high-quality chocolate and related tools. Only thing that would have made this better is positioning photos of the key recipe products right next to the recipes themselves.
August 13, 2020
If you love chocolate (the darker the better), this is a nice reference to keep in the kitchen. I enjoyed her stories of discovering the magic of bittersweet chocolate and appreciated the variations for recipes when adjusting to different cacao, butter fat, or cocoa powders. Every recipe I've tried has been foolproof.
September 3, 2023
Quite a book. The exposition on chocolates was the clearest I've ever read. The focus on bittersweet chocolate was excellent. The range of desserts (and even savories) was brilliant. i admit my own bias towards bittersweet chocolate as my favorite type of chocolate. This book fulfilled that desire.
May 6, 2011
THis book includes several recipes for Ganche that are wonderfully silky with to die for taste.
January 11, 2012
MCL. I didn't find many recipes that I wanted to try, but I did enjoy the essays.
July 29, 2011
THere is alot of great information in here--probably the most informative of my chocolate cookbooks
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews