In Alice Medrich’s excellent book of desserts, "Cocolat", there is a recipe for Prune and Armagnac Loaf. Basically a pound cake in which armagnac-soaked prunes are folded in. I add toasted walnuts. Mighty fine.

with chocolate, learned truffle-making while studying confectionary and patisserie in France. What she learned and brought back with her, and what were sold at Cocolat, the shop she opened in Berkeley in the 1970s, were the small...

: The Bread show-Naomi & David Cocolat (lite) Two Hot Tamales Marcel Desaulniers on chocolate desserts

if i’m not mistaken Moustache Cafe has now closed and is now called Chocolat or cocolat or something like that.

There is a recipe in Cocolat for a poured chocolate glaze tht sets nicely for petit four type applications. I think there are additons, including corn syrup, that account for its qualities. The book is worth its weight in gold if...

(1) Cocolat, the late lamented. (2) The fat lady on Shi Da Lu who made the greatest che1 lun4 bing3 on Formosa. (3) Vivoli at the Cannery. (4) The candy store on the east side of Polk Street next to the movie theater. They had to...

I have not seen Julia’s recipe, but have made Alice Medrich’s many, many times. It’s in her book "Cocolat", and an updated version with variations in her book “Bittersweet”. My variation is to use...

I find Masse’s great on decoration but disappointing as regards flavor. Also suffers from comparison with the stellar Cocolat, which used to be in that spot. Crixa’s all about the flavor. Items like Rigo Jancsi,...

a genoise substitute (the Hot Milk Sponge Cake from Alice Medrich’s Cocolat cookbook) while I watched. I think the problem was I did not whip the eggs enough. I will have to try again. THANKS all for the suggestions!...

it all together nicely. Have you ever baked from Alice Medrich’s book "Cocolat"? She has some pretty crazy (read:great) ideas for layered cakes. Also some fabulous charlottes, but that’s a whole thread in itself.

number of non-chocolate things in the book.) Also a fallen chocolate souffle cake that’s “fancy” but not much work. The elaborate cakes are typically made up of multiple component recipes, just as are the ones...

Sweet Inspiration is the, or one of the, last remaining examples of that late-'80s phenomenon which wasn’t a “bakery-cafe” exactly but came close to “dessert restaurant”. There were three along upper...

For a gift, the chocolate penguins & mice from Burdick are charming... http://www.burdickchocolate.com/item-group.asp?C29=Mice-and-Penguins Also for h/e, Pierre Marcolini is superb, as are Richart...Maison du Cocolat...debauve et...

I think I tried most of them. The burnt caramel was definitely the best. I also liked the cognac and the Earl Grey. They’re small (much more like real French truffles or the original Cocolat truffles) but they pack a punch.

The old Eclair on Telegraph (which lives on in name only) and the old Cocolat were first-rate, and Downtown Bakery & Creamery has Berkeley roots, so there was a tradition of fine pastry here.