Guest Author - Deborah Markus

When I heard about Todd Wilbur's books about duplicating restaurant and mass-produced foods in your own home, I was intrigued, but skeptical. Why not just buy them?

Take Wilbur's book Even More Top Secret Recipes. There are enough chocolate recipes in it to make it of legitimate interest to a chocolate writer. Wilbur explains how a civilian, in the privacy of her own home, can create Dolly Madison Devil's Food Zingers, Nestle Baby Ruth candy bars, Kellogg's Cocoa Rice Krispies Treats, and other chocolate goodies.

Looking at the list of recipes, I wondered who they were really meant for. I love Baby Ruth bars, but if I want one, I'll go to the store, plunk down my money, and be done with it. I think most grownups feel the same way. In this busy world, I'd rather spend a few quarters than half the day in the kitchen. And any kid who's short enough of cash not to be able to afford a candy bar certainly wouldn't have enough to buy the base ingredients to make a batch, even if his parents would let him take over the kitchen for the purpose.

Then I discovered the real reason for this book's existence. There are some seasonal chocolate treats, and with this book in your hands, you can have access to them all year round.

I freely confess that I probably won't be trying to make my own Girl Scout Thin Mints. I usually buy a bunch of boxes at the appropriate time of year and put them right into the freezer, and that generally keeps me happy until the next year. But still, it is nice to know that, in theory, I could make my own if I got desperate.

However, what really sold me on this collection was the fact that it contains a recipe for Cadbury's Crème Eggs. I live in America, where these are only sold a couple of months out of the year (at most), and I am completely addicted to them.

And now I can have them whenever I want.

Not easily. This recipe calls for a great deal of fidgety work in terms of dipping and shaping. My first batch bore only a faint resemblance to those perfectly produced little gems I buy every spring. The eggs also take a lot of time to chill and assemble.

But they exist. I can make them in July, if I feel so inclined, or November, or any time I like.

And, best of all, I have now created (and eaten) dark chocolate Cadbury Crème Eggs. That's the kind of thing you can only get in the comfort of your own home.