We are, as Emeril Lagasse is fond of saying, “Going to Kick It Up A Notch.” We’ve signed an agreement to produce a newsletter on chocolate for Chocolatier Magazine that will take chocophile.com and The Chocolate Co-Op to a new level. To celebrate, we’re accepting charter memberships in a club for chocophiles, chocoholics, and people of any and every persuasion who love chocolate. It’s called the New World Chocolate Society and as a Charter Member, you’ll be entitled to a number of special benefits:

I have a special place in my heart for the chocolate created by Bonnat of Voiron, France. In 1994 when I was on a business trip in Cannes, France, I wandered into the Hediard gourmet store on the ru d’Antibes and spied an assortment of bars from Bonnat. This was my introduction to gourmet named-origin chocolates, and it launched my pursuit of the finest in chocolate from around the world.

Sampler now contains 11 bars, up from 10 the last time it was offered.

AVAILABLE TO SHIP MID-NOVEMBER 2006

The Chocolate Co-Op is happy to be able to announce that it is offering a selection of 5 couvertures as well as gifting presentations of Felchlin’s Cru Sauvage—The New World Chocolate Society’s “Chocolate of the Year” for 2005.

Authored by Lori Longbotham, a former food editor at Gourmet magazine, Luscious Chocolate Desserts more than lives up to its name with a mouthwatering collections of recipes accompanied by gorgeous photography (courtesy of William Meppem).

Many is the chocolate cookbook that I look through thinking that many of the recipes are uninspired and were things that I would never make myself. Not so with this gem, which includes recipes for chocolate bread pudding, chocolate jelly, and what may become my new favorite chocolate ice cream made with creme fraiche. ...

Curious George Goes to a Chocolate Factory is a fun introduction to chocolate with that lovable monkey, Curious George. Perfect as a gift for a small child just learning to read who loves chocolate or a parent looking for something a little different and special to read at bedtime. 

The Discovery of Chocolate is essentially an heroic love story—love of and for chocolate, and the quest to find one’s true love.

Superbly written by Stephen Beckett, The Science of Chocolate is for the curious chocophile who wants to understand the entire process of manufacturing chocolate without having to go out and buy a textbook. If you can’t find a copy of Cocoa and Confectionery by Minifie (or for that matter, Beckett’s other book on the subject), then this is a very good alternative that stays focused on chocolate (Minifie covers the entire range of confectionery manufacture).

La Maison Du Chocolat: Transcendent Desserts by the Legendary Chocolatier contains a history of La Maison du Chocolat and a number of intriguing recipes for ganache, pastries, and cakes. His observation that “ganache is only chocolate and cream but it is what you do with those two ingredients after careful study and mastery” is the key to his craft. One of only three 5-bar recipients from the prestigious Club de Croquers du Chocolat, this book gives a small inkling as to why.

Authored by Chantal Coady, the founder of Rococo Chocolates in London, Real Chocolateis a highly personal and eclectic look at chocolate. Coady is also the founder of a movement called Real Chocolate which champions chocolate that contains only cocoa butter and no alternative vegetable fats (a position we heartily endorse), though interestingly she is soft on artificial vanilla.

This is a book I really wanted to like when I first heard about it - a balanced presentation of contemporary French chocolate and culture.

Despite some flaws (which I hope will be addressed in an upcoming revision should sales prove sufficient to warrant updating the book), Chocolate French is a book I can recommend as “Extra Credit for Curious Chocophiles” for your bookshelf. With a list price of $19.55 this is not a “Must Have” except if you are planning a trip to Paris and want to mine the book for places to find chocolate while you are there.

Written by J.O. Swahn, The Lore of Spices: Their History, Nature and Uses Around the World provides a fascinating historical backgrounds on herbs and spices, including New World spices important in the history of chocolate.

The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Chocolate (aka The Cook’s Encyclopedia of Chocolate in the softcover edition) authored by Christine McFadden and Christine France is a unique hybrid of a book that combines information about the history of chocolate (not as detailed as the Coe’s book) along with some information about how chocolate gets made, plus an overview of chocolate with different countries with over 200 detailed recipes with gorgeous photos.

Written by Christian Teubner, The Chocolate Bible provides a solid foundation for the chocophiles who wants to try their hands in the kitchen. The primary focus is on desserts, but there is one authentic-seeming mole recipe.

Crafting the Culture and History of French Chocolate takes a look at the craft culture of chocolate manufacture in France. A fascinating look at how French culture really is different from American culture and why contemporary French chocolate is the way it is.

Windows on the World Wine Course (2003) presents Kevin Zraly’s incomparable wine education course—“One of the best start-from-scratch wine books ever written,” wrote Frank Prial in The New York Times—is still America’s top-selling guide to wine. This new edition of Zraly’s masterwork features his loving and personal history of Windows on the World, right from its very beginning. It’s a touching tribute to his co-workers who lost their lives on September 11th. 

The New Taste of Chocolate: A Natural History of Cacao with Recipes is a perfect complement to The True History of Chocolate.

The True History of Chocolate by Sophie and Michael Coe is, without a doubt, the finest introduction to the history of chocolate, from the Olmecs in Central Mexico to the modern day.

This book is a collection of scientific papers on various New World foods, including Cacao and Vanilla ("The Nectar of the Gods.") The only article on cacao provides some useful additional information that fills in gaps in the information provided by other recommended books. 

Billed as “The Ultimate Resource for the World’s Favorite Food” All About Chocolate tries to do too much in too little space. As a result, it’s sort of like eating a very light milk chocolate ... it leaves you wanting more, or less. 

The Book of Chocolate is a lavishly illustrated volume that adds depth and breadth to a reader’s knowledge of chocolate; especially recommended after reading The True History of Chocolate and The New Taste of Chocolate.

Perfect in any season, the chocophile.com logo mug is here. No matter what you happen to be drinking, this mug says that you’d rather be drinking hot chocolate.

These shirts proclaim your love for fine chocolate in a unique and inspiring (well, to some people) way: “Compromises are for relationships, not Chocolate.” Or maybe they aren’t for you, but you know someone getting over (or not getting over) a recent breakup.