[.ca] La Maison du Chocolat: Transcendent Desserts by the ... (ISBN 0847823431)

From Amazon.com:
Fans of high-end chocolate delights have long flocked to Robert Linxe's La Maison du Chocolat, a Paris-based confection-boutique "chain." La Maison du Chocolat, blissfully photo-illustrated in color, offers readers an introduction to Linxe's art and craft, plus 65 recipes for a wide range of treats, from candies and cakes to creams, mousses, soufflés, and more. Though not difficult in themselves, the recipes are sometimes flawed (baking sheets, for example, are called for when baking pans are required, and dimensions for these are frequently omitted). Experienced bakers can fill in the blanks, but the rest of us will probably do best to enjoy the book as a record of one man's passion and its mouthwatering realization. Beginning with a paean to Linxe's artisanal skill--he's been called the sorcerer of ganache--the book then provides an investigation of chocolate bean types, each of which has its own role in the chocolate-making process, plus a glimpse at Linxe's exacting candy-making process. The recipes come next, and include such temptations as Chocolate-Almond Cake with Lemon Cream, Extra-Rich Brownies, Chocolate Raspberry Mousse, and Bittersweet Chocolate-Nut Candy. A chapter on frozen desserts and beverages, which includes a definitive hot chocolate recipe, follows, as does a section on basic preparations and techniques, like tempering. Interspersed throughout are introductions to the extraordinary (and wonderfully named) Linxe confections, such as the chocolate-mint Zagora. These further disable readers already wobbly from the chocolate euphoria Linxe's candies--and now his book--provide. --Arthur Boehm

Chronique amazon.fr:
"L'élaboration d'un chocolat est tout à fait comparable à celle d'un parfum", déclare J.-P. Guerlain. Et à suivre le parcours de Robert Linxe, fondateur de la Maison du chocolat et maître de la ganache, ce mélange subtil de chocolats et de crème, on comprend aisément. Mélange des saveurs, alliance des grands crus de cacao... Le chocolatier basque est expert, artiste et artisan à la fois. Il évoque pour nous les mélanges de saveurs les plus séduisants : menthe, fenouil, cannelle, gingembre, rhum, agrumes, cerises, amandes, framboises, noisettes, café se mêlent avec délice au chocolat pour créer des saveurs subtiles. Bacchus, Gounod, Pleyel, Mocambo sont les noms de quelques-uns des "grands desserts" que Robert Linxe nous propose, alliant science du goût et art de la présentation, comme dans cette magnifique mousse au chocolat et à la framboise. À côté des recettes surprenantes, comme les bretzels ou la galette des rois au chocolat, on trouve aussi les recettes de desserts simples ou de boissons aimés de tous : truffes, brownies, charlotte, mousse ou crème au chocolat, chocolat frappé, chocolat chaud... Les conseils sont précieux (faire un glaçage, découper des copeaux de chocolat, servir un gâteau onctueux...) et les photographies magnifiques... Une ode au chocolat et à la maison fondée par Robert Linxe. --Céline Darner

arm chair cookbook:
I have been wanting this book for a while, but I waited a long time (too long) to buy it. This book is not only visually beautiful, it has some interesting information about chocolate in general, as well as some really intriguing recipes - some of them are on a professional level and are quite complex, but a lot of them are pretty simple and sound very nice. Even if you never make a recipe out of this book, I don't think that you will regret buying it.

a beautiful book but......:
An absolutly gorgerous book. I think I am a little greedy in that I was expecting more from this book. I believe there are around 60 recipes. Some are divine, some were the standards found in many books and some I don't think were worth putting in(like chocolate dipped dried fruit). There are numerous lush pictures and poetic discriptions of candies made at La Maison Du Chocolat but no actual recipes or guidelines for candy making. Although I may sound critical, the book is truly beautiful and one can sense the author's passion for his art.

Temptation by Choclate:
This is one of the most magnificently illustrated books I have ever seen. It makes you want to either run out and buy a box of the best choclates or whip up some of the decadent brownies. Although the recipes may seem intimidating for a beginner, most of them can be easily accomplised by the home baker. The chocolate almond cake is divine. So is the chocolate rasberry mousse. My only problem with this book was that there was no section with information about chocolate and the different kinds available and their particular features.

Close to perfection:
Chocolate is one of the four basic food groups. The others are, some say, wine and garlic, with furious debate over the fourth. Linxe has, over a lifetime, created a veritable ode to chocolate in many forms, and his five stores in Paris are well worth the visit (you will come out much poorer except in chocolate). His New York jewel, which has moved slightly downtown from the East 70s to Madison Avenue, is worth seeing and smelling close up--any chocolate lover will understand. The soul of Linxe's art with chocolate is captured in this magnificent book. The photographs alone are sinfully sensual. A baker friend says that the recipes are within her grasp if she only had the time, and the money, and could get all the ingredients conveniently. She and I both agreed, and this was pointed out by another reviewer, that the history and diversity of chocolate is a significant omission, but wanting more data on chocolate is perhaps greedy on our part and we should not sit around lazily on a chocolate high, with some decent pinot noir on the side, but get out and do our own research. For what it is, and not for what it omits, this is a great book. It makes one want to fly to Paris right this second, and there one can find all the other vital food groups as well.