CHOCOLATE AND THE ART OF LOW-FAT DESSERTS

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CHOCOLATE AND THE ART OF LOW-FAT DESSERTS

Name: CHOCOLATE AND THE ART OF LOW-FAT DESSERTS
Author: Alice Medrich
ISBN: 0-446-51666-X

by Alice Medrich ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1994

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Medrich's Cocolat (not reviewed) was a lavish collection of heart-stopping (in both senses) desserts. Does this assemblage of low-fat sweets (in most, less than 30% of the calories come from fat) mean she is lowering her decadent standards? Don't bet on it. As she sensibly points out in the introduction, changes in our eating habits have affected our palates too: These days, food with less fat just tastes better. Someone comparing her dense brownies made with unsweetened cocoa to standard brownies would probably note a difference without necessarily preferring one over the other. Mostly Medrich has skipped the losing battle of substitutions and makeovers (one exception, tiramisó with a cottage and cream cheese mixture in place of mascarpone, is sacrilegious). Instead, she's come up with a whole range of ingenious techniques- -from freezing mousses to make them fuller-tasting to adding doses of acidic dairy products to tenderize baked goods—to create a range of original sweets. Frozen hot chocolate with low-fat milk is a snap, while a chocolate cake with three kinds of mousse takes over two hours to prepare. A final chapter gives recipes for new, low-fat versions of basics like pastry creams so that readers can try working Medrich's magic on their own favorites. Two quibbles: A fair number of non-chocolate options make the title misleading, and fussy old-fashioned tableware lends photographs the ambiance of Great-Aunt Martha's dining room. A toothsome revolution. (First serial to Food & Wine)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1994

ISBN: 0-446-51666-X

Page Count: 192

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1994

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.