The Hawaiian Spinner Dolphin

There's no shortage of chocolate cookbooks out there, but this volume stands out for its user-friendly nature and the sheer deliciousness of its recipes. Longbotham (Luscious Lemon Desserts), a former food editor at Gourmet, clearly knows her material: she provides a concise history of chocolate, a description of the journey from cacao pod to hot cocoa, and a brief glossary explaining the myriad different forms chocolate can take. She even includes a short discussion on the health benefits of chocolate consumption, which should come as a relief to anyone tempted by fat and calorie-laden recipes like Killer Chocolate Cheesecake or Luscious Chocolate Custard Ice Cream. Individual Molten Chocolate Cakes have become a restaurant cliche, but made at home, they regain both their originality and their integrity. And Luscious Chocolate Layer Cake, a birthday classic, is rich, gooey and satisfyingly all-American. Some of the best recipes are the ones that mix fruit with chocolate; Chocolate-Hazelnut Spread on Toast with Nectarines is like Nutella to the nth power, the nectarines a perfect foil for the chocolate spread, and Crisp Chocolate Chip Cookies with Dried Cherries and Pistachios are wonderfully crunchy and chewy at the same time. The dried cherries provide a terrific sweet-tart kick. The diversity of the recipes, along with the photographs of all these heartbreakingly gorgeous desserts, make this the perfect cookbook for any chocolate fanatic those who love to eat chocolate and those who just love to read about it. -Publishers Weekly <p>Whoever said single-subject cookbooks were tiresome? I think it was me, but that was before Lori Longbotham's homage to chocolatey treats crossed my path.The recipes themselves are just as inviting. All are plotted out in a straightforward manner and rely on easy-to-find ingredients. Nothing daunts, not even the restauranty Ultimate Chocolate Marquise. <p>Longbotham also provides a short discourse on the history of chocolate, a glossary, a section on chocolate's connection to good health and a primer on tasting chocolate. -San Diego Union Tribune