I tried to think of a better title for this week’s post, maybe something with a pun like last week’s post or something more attention-grabbing, but then I thought, what’s more attention-grabbing than chocolate in its purest, unadulterated form? So the simple title stays in the hopes that chocolate lovers will naturally gravitate towards something they enjoy.
It’s no secret that we at the South Branch love food, as evidenced by one of my posts last month. The food programs we have at the South are perennially popular and I’m continuously working to keep our cookbook section current, relevant and interesting. This Thursday, July 16th at 7PM we’re offering a program featuring none other than chocolate! Local historian Anthony Sammarco will be talking about the 250-year history of the Baker’s Chocolate company. Not only did I have no idea that the Baker’s chocolate I see in every supermarket was a local company (based out of Dorchester), I also had no idea that they’d been in business for over two centuries! And don’t worry, true to my spoiler-free promise this is only the very beginning of the things Mr. Sammarco will be talking about. There’s much more to find out!
So if you enjoy chocolate, local history or the off chance that you might get to have a chocolate snack at the library, come on by the South Branch this Thursday night. Mr. Sammarco will be selling and signing copies of his book The Baker Chocolate Company: A Sweet History, but a purchase is not required. If you’d like a preview, you can find the book here.
If you simply can’t get enough chocolate (who can, really?), here are some suggestions that may ease some of those cravings:
How to Make Chocolate Candies by Bill Collins
The South Branch hosted Chef Bill Collins this past winter for a session on making chocolate candies at home and he really knew his stuff. This book is the culmination of his research into mastering some basic techniques in order to replicate the chocolate-making techniques of skilled chocolatiers at home. This book will guide you through different types of chocolate, simple methodology, equipment and storage tips in clear, plain language. From there he provides detailed recipes for fudge, barks, molded chocolates, truffles and more. If you’d like to impress friends and family with quality homemade candies, this little guide will help you do just that.
Devils’ Food Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke
Joanne Fluke is a heavy-hitter in the cozy mystery field, thrilling fans not only with charming murder mysteries solved by baker and amateur sleuth Hannah Swenson, but with enticing recipes that compliment her stories. Forgoing the in-title puns of her peer Diane Mott Davidson, Fluke gets right to what’s important, titling her books after desserts. Her recipes are so popular she even collected them in a Hannah Swenson cookbook. In this chocolaty adventure, a friend-of-a-friend is murdered, found face-down in a devils’ food cake and Hannah uses the natural comfort that is chocolate and baked goods to poke around where the police don’t have as much luck. As with all of Fluke’s books, come for the murder, stay for the recipes!
Chocolat by Joanne Harris
Joanne Harris’s poetic novel follows Vianne Rocher and her daughter Anouk as they arrive in a small town in southern France and open a charming little chocolate shop… right at the beginning of Lent and across the street of the local parish. As the town chooses sides between church and chocolate, relationships are tested and forged. Harris’ work is a beautiful love letter to chocolate, family and what “home” truly means. Her prose will wrap you like like a velvety chocolate coating over a sweet, ripe strawberry creating an indulgent, hedonistic but all together delightful read. If you’d like to indulge more, you can follow Vianne and Anouk’s adventures in The Girl with No Shadow and Peaches for Father Francis.
No, it’s not deja vu; no need to adjust your computer screen. Harris’s book was made into a terrific movie and the two are different enough that I think the movie warrants its own recommendation. The overall vibe and the same plot as Harris’s novel are certainly present in the movie, but the cinematic effort crystallizes some themes and glosses over others to the point where reading the book and watching the movie are very different experiences. Juliette Binoche plays Vianne and her 1950s style in this movie is truly enviable. Johnny Depp gives a great performance as an Irish wanderer and Alfred Molina as Francis Reynaud nearly steals the show from the amazing chocolate creations. This is one of my favorite movies and it brings Harris’s setting and characters to life beautifully.
The Essence of Chocolate: Recipes for Baking and Cooking with Fine Chocolate by Robert Steinberg & John Scharffenberger
If all of this chocolate fiction has you itching to get into the kitchen, you may want to try this cookbook from Robert Steinberg and John Scharffenberger (of the artisinal Scharffen Berger chocolate company). With stunning photos and chocolate recipes of all varieties (I’m particularly intrigued by the savory options that pair the richness of chocolate with main-dish meats), even the most hardcore chocoholic will be hard-pressed not to find satisfaction in these pages.
I hope this week’s post has satisfied some cravings (and maybe even fired a few cravings up) and I hope to see you on Thursday night!