When is chocolate not chocolate?
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If I were blindfolded, and given a taste, I’m not sure I would know that I was tasting chocolate at all. That’s because white chocolate isn’t true chocolate, according to the “Food Lover’s Companion” by Sharon Tyler Herbst (Barron’s, 2001). It contains cocoa butter (as “true” chocolate does), but no chocolate “liquor,” and consequently, “very little chocolate flavor.”
To understand the difference between white chocolate and “true” chocolate it is helpful to understand how chocolate is made. Cocoa beans are dried, roasted and winnowed to remove their thin shells. The roasted beans are shattered into fragments (nibs) during this process. The nibs are ground to extract the cocoa butter (a natural vegetable fat) leaving a thick brown paste called cocoa liquor. The liquor is again refined — if more cocoa butter is extracted, it becomes cocoa powder. To make “true” chocolate (the brown kind) the chocolate liquor is combined with the cocoa butter; and other ingredients such as vanilla, sugar and sometimes lecithin (a natural emulsifier). To make “white” chocolate, cocoa butter is combined with milk solids, sugar, vanilla and lecithin. No chocolate liquor. Very little chocolate flavor. In other words: “Chocolate, but not.”
Some chocolate connoisseurs are dismissive of white chocolate. One new cookbook ignores it with the words, attributed to chocolatier Sandra Boynton, “White chocolate has great appeal for those who find that color and flavor interfere with the experience of texture.” Also, because of its high cocoa butter and dairy fat content, white chocolate is considered highly temperamental when it comes to cooking; it scorches and clumps more easily than “true” chocolate when exposed to heat.
But I have recently encountered several recipes that make white chocolate make sense. Of course, the stuff has visual appeal — for example, it’s fun to dip strawberries in both dark and white melted chocolate and arrange them in a contrasting pattern on a plate. But the bland sweetness and voluptuous texture of white chocolate works surprisingly well with citrus fruits. The White Chocolate Lime Pie and the White Chocolate Lemon Fudge recipes, both from “125 Best Chocolate Recipes” by Julie Hasson (Robert Rose, 2004) are proof positive, as is the White Chocolate and Lime Frozen Souffle from Nick Malgieri’s book “Chocolate” (HarperCollins, 1998). These recipes bring white chocolate into its own. Not quite chocolate, perhaps, but delicious.
Note: When buying white chocolate, look for a brand that contains only cocoa butter, milk fats and solids, lecithin and vanilla, not hydrogenated vegetable fats or inferior vanillin. At the supermarket, Ghiradelli white chocolate baking bars fit the bill.
To melt white chocolate, put it in a 200 F oven for a few minutes (it should take less than 5; or heat it in the microwave at 50 percent power, checking every 30 seconds; or melt it in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water, stirring constantly.
WHITE CHOCOLATE LIME PIE
For the crust:
1-1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the filling:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, slightly softened
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
3 ounces white chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
1 packed teaspoon grated lime zest (from 2 limes)
3/4 cups freshly squeezed limejuice (from about 5 limes)
For topping (optional):
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
white chocolate curls (see Cook’s note)
lime zest
Cook’s note: To make chocolate curls, scrape the side of a bar of room temperature white chocolate with a vegetable peeler.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Prepare the crust: Mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter together and press into an 8- or 9-inch pie plate. Bake for 8 minutes. Allow to cool before filling.
In a food processor, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk. Pulse until smooth. Add the melted chocolate, and pulse again. Add the limejuice and zest and pulse until combined.
Spread the mixture into the pie shell. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 to 4 hours (or until firm) and up to 24 hours.
Serve as is or, just before serving, whip the cream and confectioners’ sugar until stiff peaks form. Spread the whipped cream over the top of the pie. Sprinkle with white chocolate curls and/or lime zest if desired.
Recipe from “125 Best Chocolate Recipes,” by Julie Hasson (Robert Rose, 2004)
WHITE CHOCOLATE LEMON FUDGE
7 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 teaspoon lemon oil (see Cook’s note)
9 ounces white chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
Cook’s note: Lemon oil is available in some supermarkets and many natural foods stores.
Do not substitute lemon extract, the fudge won’t taste the same.
Butter an 8-inch square baking dish (preferably glass) and set aside.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar, beating well. Mix in lemon oil and beat again to combine. Add the chocolate, beating only until smooth. Spread into the prepared dish and refrigerate until firm, then cut into squares. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Yield: 16 servings
Recipe from “125 Best Chocolate Recipes,” by Julie Hasson (Robert Rose, 2004)
WHITE CHOCOLATE AND LIME FROZEN SOUFFLE
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup white rum
12 ounces white chocolate, melted
2 large eggs
4 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup sugar
Cook’s note: You have a choice to serve this as a souffle (a dramatic presentation) or just freeze it in a bowl and scoop it out like ice cream. If using a souffle mold, cut a piece of aluminum foil long enough to go around a 6-cup dish with a little overlap. Fold the foil in half the long way and wrap it around the dish to form a collar that extends about 4 inches above the rim. Tie or tape the foil in place.
Place the mold (or bowl) in the freezer while you make the dessert.
Whip 1-1/2 cups of the cream until it holds soft peaks. Refrigerate.
Bring the remaining 1/2 cup cream to a simmer in a small saucepan set over low heat.
Whisk the cream, then add the rum and melted white chocolate, whisking to mix. Set aside to cool.
Whisk the eggs, egg yolks, limejuice and sugar together in a heat-proof bowl. Place over a small pan of simmering water and whisk until the eggs are hot, increased in volume, and thickened. Use an electric mixer to whip the mixture until cooled to room temperature.
Fold the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, then fold in the whipped cream.
Pour into the prepared dish and freeze. After the outside has frozen (about 2 hours) cover with plastic wrap. Return to the freezer at least overnight and up to several weeks.
To serve from the souffle mold: unwrap the dessert and remove the foil collar. Use a metal spatula to straighten the sides and top of the dessert. Scoop out — don’t try to cut into wedges, it will fall apart. If using the bowl, just scoop it out.
Yield: 10 servings
Recipe from “Chocolate,” by Nick Malgieri (HarperCollins, 1998)
Sometimes misunderstood, white chocolate finds a soul mate in citrus fruit in this White Chocolate Lime Pie. Photograph by Mark T. Shapiro for “125 Best Chocolate Recipes” by Julie Hasson (Robert Rose, 2004)