Includes index

Introduction -- Chocolate: a primer -- Critical intel, aka cheat sheet -- Prologue: the magic piano -- Les biscuits -- Les Gateaux -- Les tartes -- Mousse and more -- The chic, delicious and playful -- Le chocolat chaud -- Truffles and caramels -- Les buches de noel -- To soak, to sauce, to coat, to fill, to ice, to drizzle, to spoon, to glaze and perchance to dollop -- My favorite chocolateries in Paris

In France, chocolate is more than a treat -- it's a daily essential, and in Paris, it's nothing short of an obsession. At the legendary food market Épicerie Bon Marché, hundreds of square feet are dedicated to everything chocolate, from biscuits and bonbons to baking bars and luxurious tins of drinking chocolate. At home, chocolate shines in creations like pâte à tartiner (homemade Nutella) and gâteau au chocolat, a rich, nearly flourless cake with a texture that dances between mousse and moist crumb. The recipe for this cake in Chocolat is the little black dress of desserts: simple yet irresistible. While desserts like profiteroles, éclairs, or bûches de Noël require some practice, many chocolate desserts are easy to make, thanks to chocolate's minimal need for additional ingredients. --