Author of Ed Engoron’s Choclatique, Running Press, 2011
When the doorbell rang the delivery I’d been expecting finally arrived—seventeen cases of books. Now these weren’t just any books… these were the new Choclatique dessert books that I started writing more than three years ago.
Wow! As I ripped open the first box I found the beautiful, embossed and foil-stamped cover depicting a balloon whisk with a mixture of satiny melted chocolate dripping from the bail. It was so realistic, I thought I could smell the aroma permeating from the pages within. I was poised to take a lick when our logistics manager, Dave, came in and told me he had the first order for the book. This is exciting stuff for a guy who hasn’t written a cookbook since he penned Stolen Secrets back in the late 1970s.
This is no ordinary cookbook. Like others, it has recipes, of course—over 150 to be exact—all using an easy to make ganache that makes professional looking and tasting, scrumptious desserts. Also, like many other cookbooks there are beautiful pictures. The food photo images were shot by the talented Jason Varney. The only thing that I requested was that the pictures not look too polished… I didn’t want to scare away a less confident reader from trying out the recipes.
Here is how the book differs from other ordinary cookbooks. The book is based on five basic ganache recipes that you can mix and match to result in over 640 recipes and variations from the basic written text.
This book is also an adventure… it captures just 12 of a lifetime of stories of my travels to over 130 countries from the Amazon to the Serengeti in search of the best chocolate the world has to offer.
The book is sprinkled with QR (Quick Response) Codes…those funny little Rorschach squares you see popping up seemingly everywhere these days. When scanned by a smart phone they take you to a video of the ChefSecret that is at the end of many of the recipes. This is the first time that this technology has been available to be used in the publishing of a cookbook.
And, lastly and most important, the recipes make luscious tasting desserts perfectly for the first time and every time there after. It is a foolproof guide to making all of your favorite desserts.
Each recipe in Choclatique has been tested in the Choclatique Chocolate Studios at least five times. I have 25 pounds of extra weight to prove it. Five different artisans made each dessert to prove their accuracy and language.
The copy was proofed by an army of people. I wrote the original copy sending it on to my partner, Joan Vieweger, who then sent it back to me with corrections. The manuscript (MS) then when to Dave who checked it for spelling and grammar errors against the original copy. Mary Goodbody, author of over 60 books, then read the MS for continuity of style. Each time the book passed through different hands it was sent back to me with changes that I either excepted or rejected. When I felt it was ready, it was then forwarded to our publisher, Running Press, and our “super editor” Geoff Stone who parceled it out to a copy editor for the Adventures and a recipe editor for, you guessed it, the recipes. The MS was then completely reviewed one last time by Geoff, Mary, Joan and finally me. I must admit each time the MS was reviewed and corrected it made it a better read.
The original MS had over 250 recipes and nearly three dozen adventure stories. Nearly half have had to be put aside in order to keep to the original 300 page format. But I am one of those writers who believes that every word and recipe is a pearl so they won’t be in digital suspense for long; they will be the basis for my next book—maybe we’ll name it The Rest of Choclatique.
As I write this installment of the Choclatique blog, I am off on the first of many weeks of book tour/promotion. First stop, Charleston, South Carolina and an appearance on Lowcountry Live!
Watch for ChocolateDoctor sightings (that’s me) in your area and on A Million Cooks and be sure to check out Choclatique, the book, found in bookstores around the world, Amazon, Walmart, Target and of course our remodeled website at Choclatique.com.
As always I wish you sweet dreams and chocolate wishes!
CHOCLATIQUE by Ed Engoron
Full-Color Throughout 256 pages • 8 x 10 $27.00 /$31.50 CAN /£14.99 UK ISBN 978-0-7624-3964-5 • hc Available on the Choclatique Website and Book Stores, September, 2011
April was a diverse month peppered with lots of travel. I was in San Francisco, Newark, New Haven, Denver, Chicago, London, Lisbon and back to San Francisco. Tomorrow I leave for Cincinnati by way of Denver and then finally back to Los Angeles. I kind of feel like the George Clooney character—Ryan Bingham—in Up in the Air. He finds himself on the cusp of reaching ten million frequent flyer miles. I’ve already traveled well beyond ten million miles reaching some of the 131 countries I’ve visited over the last 30 years. 
In addition to chocolates and other sweets, there were food demonstrations and cookbook signings, wineries and the judging for awards for great chocolate. It was educational, too, as many visitors found it fascinating to learn more about the different methods used in the chocolate making process, from stone grinding cacao to finding the perfect combination of soils and environments to create 
Olympic star, Brian Boitano, one of the celebrity judges, chose Choclatique as his favorite chocolates of the day. He sampled our Root Beer Float—always a show stopper, and Peanut Butter and Jelly—my all-time favorite. In his column he told his readers that the 
Watermelon Patch, Carrot Cake, Creamy Orangesicle, Caramel Apple and, of course, our 
What Brian didn’t have a chance to see were our two new, latest and greatest assortments—
#5… It’s our birthday! 
#4… Those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer! Nat King Cole got it right with the soda, pretzels and beer, but where was the custard? I’m a Milwaukee girl; growing up our summers always included plenty of trips to 
#3… No more mandatory 
#2… 
And the #1 reason to celebrate… the book is finished and off to the editor!! Here at Choclatique, we’re definitely celebrating the completion of 