Recipe Weekend; CLOSED/ Book Review/GIVEAWAY.: Chocolate, A Love Story AND Fried Chocolate Truffles Recipe!

OMG- when Hachette Publishing offered to let me review a CHOCOLATE cookbook, I thought my birthday had come early!

I mean really- cooking AND chocolate??? YUUUMMMMM

Chocolate: A Love Story is a vibrant new cookbook that includes 65 original recipes, narrated in the quirky, captivating voice of Max Brenner, the restaurant's visionary founder and "bald man."

Bold original illustrations by Yonatan Factor, are inspired Art Deco poster graphics, that are able to serve as art by themselves.

This is not your typical keep on the counter cookbook- this IS a work of ART.
At 9x12, it is a coffee table ART book, with the MOST amazing recipes! When you stroll through the book for the first time, you will be craving chocolate like never before and chomping at the bit to hit the kitchen. This is a problem if it's 2 am and you're at work!

Recipes are easy-to-follow, without a lot of obscure ingredients. They're unique in that they take a simple chocolate dish, and bring it to a new level of sophistication and taste. Sample recipes are Chocolate Cornflake TV Wraps (you have to SEE this recipe to believe it! I haven't been able to bring myself to make it yet-am too afraid I'll fall in love with it!), Chocolate Cappuccino Roulade with Toffee Filling and Chocolate Shavings, Chocolate Pot Pie with Strawberries and American Dream Pancake with Milk Chocolate maple Syrup and red-berry Soho Salad. SEE, hungry yet??????????? My only wish is that there were ACTUAL photographs of each recipe- there is enough room on the recipe page for a small photo. it would be really helpful on some of the recipes! There are a handful of recipes that have photos made into the art print to accompany the recipe. But again, my preference would be to have a photo with EVERY recipe. But that would be my ONLY complaint with this book!
 
Max Brenner, Chocolate by the Bald Man, is a chain spawned in Israel, by a pair of businessmen, Max Fichtman and Oded Brenner, who combined their two names into that of one quasi-fictive candy man. Mr. Brenner indeed happens to be bald, so there’s some follicular truth in the advertising. Max Brenner is now owned by an Israeli food corporation, which has succeeded in establishing it in Singapore, the Philippines, Australia and the United States. With gigantic vats of churning chocolate, desserts like their famous chocolate pizza, and 12 varieties of hot chocolate served in custom mugs, Max Brenner, Chocolate by the Bald Man has turned their line of hip, colorful themed restaurants into an international sensation..

At under $30, I can't recommend this book enough for all the Chocoholics and cookbook lovers in your life! It is SUCH a piece of art, that it is truly a PERFECT Christmas gift!

And now what you've been waiting for! now ya'll know the South has a thing for frying anything (fried twinkie anyone?), so you really shouldn't be surprised I picked this recipe to focus on! BUT, it is SO easy and so perfect for freaking out your guests at a Holiday party! They won't believe they are eating something SO wonderful!

Guilt Free FRIED Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cps heavy cream
16 oz dark chocolate, chopped
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3 tbsp almond or other liquor (can use non-alcoholic version if you like)
1 large egg, beaten
3/4 cp all-purpose flour
1 cp shredded coconut
3 cps vegetable oil, for frying

Instructions
1. Bring cream to aa simmer and our over the chocolate in a heat proof bowl. Let sit til the chcoolate begins to melt, about 1 minute, then stir til smooth. beat in the butter and liquer til thoroughly combined. Cover bowl and chill for at least 2 hours.

2. Scoop chocolate mix with mini ice-cream scoop or teaspoon and roll into 1 inch balls (about 1 oz each), powdering your ahnds with confectioners sugar, if needed, to keep chocolate from sticking. Place on backing sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze for 2 hours.

3. Prepare 3 shallow bowl, 1 each for: egg, flour, coconut. Roll frozen balls in each bowl, in sequence (egg, then flour, then coconut). Place balls in fridge and let them sit for a few minutes.

4. Take balls from fridge and repeat step 3 with each one. Freeze balls for one hour.

5. In deep pan, heat il to 375 degrees. Carefully fry the truffles, working in batches so as not to crowd the pan, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Place on paper towel to drain off excess oil and serve hot if at all possible.

Makes about 30 truffles. Recipe is easily doubles or tripled!

Ready to win your own copy now?????

Giveaway:

One copy of Max Brenner's Chocolate: a Love Story

Entry:

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Contest will end on November 9th, at midnight. Winner will be picked by Random Number (random.org) on November 10th, and emailed. As soon as winner's info is received from winner, the books will be mailed to them!

Disclosure: Hachette Publishing sent me this book, at no cost to me, for review purposes.I was NOT compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product!