What do you do with white chocolate?

Clay Gordon
09/02/08 06:49:38PM
@clay
I just came back from the World Pastry Forum and 2008 Amoretti World Pastry Team Championship but while I was there I was introduced to an interesting thing to do with white chocolate - caramelize it. [Editor: November 8, 2008 - I ran into Derek Poirier at The Chocolate Show in NYC who thanked me for mentioning the technique but took me to task for forgetting to mention who introduced me to the idea. Derek is Valrhona's Corporate Pastry Chef here in the US. Thanks! Derek.]This can be done in a roasting pan in the oven. Place the white chocolate (buttons or chopped) in the pan and place in a 250F oven. Stir every 10 minutes or so. Depending on how much chocolate is in the pan it may take 30-40 minutes or more to achieve a good color. Be careful because it's easy to burn.This gives the chocolate an almost dulce de leche flavor and if done properly the caramelized chocolate will even temper. The recipe I saw demonstrated turn the caramelized white chocolate into a whipped ganache to be used instead of whipped cream (creme chantilly).What do you like to do with white chocolate?