The Ultimate Candy Book

September 15, 2000
Weinstein's book, in the same style as his Ultimate Ice Cream Book, offers 100 or so basic recipes for delectable candies plus variations on the theme--many recipes, in fact, include close to a dozen versions in all. The candies are organized into the three general categories of the subtitle and range from Fudge-in-a-Minute to Turkish Taffy (in grape, peach, and even fig flavors) to Hazelnut Brittle. There's even a recipe for homemade chewing gum. With its abundance of recipes, this is a good companion to Carole Bloom's several less-ambitious candy-making titles (e.g., Truffles, Candies, & Confections, Crossing Pr., 1996).

Copyright 2000 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2000
If desserts aren't sweet enough or not ready quickly enough, candy provides instant gratification. Bruce Weinstein's The Ultimate Candy Book rushes to the rescue with recipes for all sorts of favorite homemade candies as well as directions for reproducing favorite commercial candies in the home kitchen. Weinstein makes plain the simple method of combining pecans, caramel, and chocolate into homemade turtles. His chocolate matzo makes the deprivations of the Passover season much more bearable. Some unexpected treats appear here, such as coconut snowballs: crisp coconut coating the outside of balls of contrastingly moist, chewy coconut. What's unusual is that they're served straight from the deep freeze. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2000, American Library Association.)