recipe — valrhona's caramelized white chocolate

8/18/2019 RECIPE — Valrhona's Caramelized White Chocolate

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RECIPE — Valrhona's Caramelized WhiteChocolate

by Genius Recipes • February 5, 2013 • 28 Comments

Photo by James Ransom

Author Notes: Pale, sweet, arguably boring white chocolate is made of three ingredients with a lot ofpotential -- sugar, milk, and fat (in the form of cocoa butter) (…more) —Genius Recipes

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

1pound white chocolateSea salt, to taste

1. Heat oven to 266°F (130°C). If the white chocolate isn't already in small chunks or fêves, chop itcoarsely. Scatter it on a clean, dry rimmed baking sheet.

2. Roast chocolate in the oven for about 45 minutes, stirring and smearing the chocolate around with aspatula every 5 to 10 minutes (make sure the spatula is clean and dry when you start). Don't worry if itlooks lumpy and crumbly at times -- it will smooth out as you stir.

3. Continue cooking until the chocolate is as dark as you like (we like a rich toffee color). Stir in sea salt totaste.

4. Pour into a jar to store -- it will harden as it cools, and may look mottled (this is normal for untemperedchocolate). Store at room temperature, and warm it in a pot of barely simmering water when you're readyto use it. It should keep for several months.

5. Alternately: If you keep roasting until it seizes into crumbles, don't worry. It is completely salvageableand, in fact, it may be a handier form to keep around for baking. That way, you can freely toss handfulsinto cookies or scones, brownies or banana bread. You can also force it to become completely smooth

http://food52.com/users/31034-genius-recipeshttp://food52.com/recipes/20716-valrhona-s-caramelized-white-chocolate#commentshttp://food52.com/users/31034-genius-recipeshttp://food52.com/recipes/20716-valrhona-s-caramelized-white-chocolate#show%20more%20contenthttp://food52.com/recipes/20716-valrhona-s-caramelized-white-chocolate#commentshttp://food52.com/users/31034-genius-recipes


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with the aid of a blender or a fine mesh strainer if you wish -- just warm with a little cream or neutral oil ina double boiler, then either blend or strain.

White chocolate fans are a lonely, quiet bunch. But they're about to get some new recruits. Like you. Andeven you over there, with the Scotch truffle in your mouth.

Most of us have spent the past two decades forgetting the white chocolate wave of the '80s, which eventuallybegat the Hug, and an unpleasant macadamia nut cookie scent drifting though our malls.

There was also the persistent rumor that white chocolate isn't really chocolate, because it only contains thebutter, not the solids from the cacao bean. (Until they legitimized the term "white chocolate" in 2002, the FDAwasn't helping.) But this is a little like saying pork tenderloin isn't really pork.

Matched against the brute appeal of a salty dark chocolate bar or a cookie heavy with bittersweet chips,scrawny, milked-up white chocolate never really had a chance. But it can do something miraculous that darkchocolate never could.

Here's the thing: Past that pale, sweet exterior lie three ingredients with a lot of potential -- sugar, milk, and

fat (in the form of cocoa butter). What happens when you expose these to enough heat? The sugars toastand you get caramel.

http://www.thenibble.com/zine/archives/best-white-chocolate2.asp#historyhttp://www.thenibble.com/zine/archives/best-white-chocolate2.asp#historyhttp://www.hersheys.com/kisses/products/hugs-chocolate.aspxhttp://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/21/garden/america-is-going-sweet-on-white-chocolate.html?src=pmhttp://shop.food52.com/deal/30519/exclusive-food52-valentines-collections-by-valerie-confections/nationa


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This simple alchemy was harnessed at L'Ecole du Grand Chocolat Valrhona (a.k.a. Valrhona ChocolateSchool). Bloggers and chefs like David Lebovitz, Ideas in Food, and Bill Corbett learned the techniquethrough them and have since spread the gospel.

http://www.realbakingwithrose.com/2010/07/white_chocolate_rises_to_new_h.htmlhttp://blog.ideasinfood.com/ideas_in_food/2008/07/valrhona-at-the-institute-of-culinary-education.htmlhttp://www.davidlebovitz.com/2009/06/caramelized-white-chocolate/http://www.valrhona.com/us/#/espace-gourmets/ecole-du-grand-chocolat


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ssent a y, you roast w te c oco ate at a ow temperature egrees , or a out m nutes, st rr ngand swooping it around every 5 to 10 minutes. Then you salt it.

What it turns into, some call the "Toffee of Milk". Just like other chocolate, it's liquid when warm, solid whencool.

It borrows from dulce de leche with hints of cocoa flavor and, maybe most distinctively, rounded chocolatetexture. As Food52er Rivka, who tipped me off to the technique, said, "It's one of the most delicious chocolatesubstances I've ever tasted."

http://food52.com/users/382-rivka


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The cocoa butter proportion matters -- the higher it is, the more willingly melty it gets. We used 34% ValrhonaIvoire Fêves, but if yours is 30% and looks a little stiffer than ours, that's okay -- just stir it often and watch itclosely. Once it's the color you like, pour it into a jar and re-warm it whenever you want to get jiggy.


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If you take it too far and it seizes into crumbles, don't panic. It is completely salvageable and, in fact, I thinkit's a handier form to keep around. Not only can you force it to become completely smooth with the aid of ablender or a fine mesh strainer, you can also freely toss handfuls into cookies or scones, brownies or bananabread. And into your own mouth.


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See below for three of the simplest ways to use the stuff, but there are countless others. (Our Head RecipeTester Stephanie Bourgeois turned hers into ice cream, mousse, cookies, pots de creme, and three types ofganache -- all in one night.)

For Valentine's Day, I can promise these three desserts have all the allure and heady depth of a dark

chocolate mousse. And maybe even more, because your date won't see them coming.

1. Hot (Caramelized White) Chocolate

http://food52.com/blog/2932-herve-this-chocolate-moussehttp://www.jamesbeard.org/recipes/roasted-white-chocolate-moussehttp://food52.com/users/1081-biffbourgeois


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Whisk a little hot cream into caramelized white chocolate; smear between cookies.

3. Ice Cream Topping, Magic Shell-Style


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Warm up 8 ounces of caramelized white chocolate with a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Pour over ice cream.Bust through shell with spoon.

recipe — valrhona's caramelized white chocolate

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