Of Chocolate

“Can I offer you a slice of this amazing caramelized white chocolate apricot brioche made by my favorite granddaughter?” “You may indeed.”
When you slice the rich, buttery bread topped with crunchy bits of pearl sugar, you get a swirl of white chocolate, which now also has hints of caramel flavor from having been roasted, and chunks of apricot. ” ? Stacey Ballis ( Author of Wedding Girl)

One of the drawbacks of reading books revolving or having a bit of the food factor, is the sudden trigger for that particular dish or meal. Using this as a justifiable excuse to dig into my toddler’s stash of white chocolate, would satisfy the sudden craving for the chocolate, creamy and white.

Interestingly white chocolate isn’t exactly chocolate. Made from cocoa butter, milk solids, sugar, lecithin and flavorings (most commonly, vanilla); it doesn’t include chocolate liquor. The latter beside s giving the bitter flavour and dark colour to chocolate, by the FDA Guidelines state that chocolate liquor has to be present in a product to be known as “chocolate”. Though today as per the US Guidelines (2004), white chocolate (by weight) should have at least 20% cocoa butter, 14% total milk solids, 3.5% milk fat with maximum of 55% sugar or other sweeteners. On a plus point, white choclate has very minimum caffeine as compared to the regular chocolate.

 

On tracing to the exact origin of chocolate being white, no definite person or country can be given credit. While the Swiss company Nestlé takes almost sole claim to being the initial source of marketable white chocolate (1930s, Milkybar) in Europe; rumours exist of a New Hampshire man producing white chocolate shortly after World War I. Other records state of Kuno Baedeker, who had developed white chocolate (1945) and is widely considered the first creator of the same in North America. Though as records mostly show that Nestlé was the heart of creation and development of the modern white chocolate.

All said and done, one can melt it, chip it in, drink it or just have it like that. Like the regular choclate, white choclate has become a very prominent add on in the cookie dough, cake mix, quick desserts, melted with hot choclate and a regular combination with ice cream. Which is why, a bar of white chocolate has it’s own role of cheering up the depressing bits of life, no matter how old one grows.

“I like caramel flavors; some people prefer a lighter taste, like rose, at least to start with. The chocolate-flavored ones are lovely, of course…” I am rambling; it is like choosing a favorite child, practically impossible. “What’s in this one then?” She points at my newest creation, a pale, creamy white with soft flecks of yellow, like glints of gold in white marble.
“Reve d’un Ange. It means ‘dream of an angel.'” She tilts her head, interested, and I shrug. “Hopelessly romantic name, I know. Couldn’t help myself.” “What’s in it?” she asked, lowering her voice.
“It’s my white chocolate macaron. Ganache, that’s a kind of chocolate cream, sandwiched in the middle. I’ve added a little lemon rind and cinnamon.”
-Hannah Tunnicliffe ( author of The Color of Tea)