"whitechocolate" news and stories

If your family and friends belong to the Cheesecake Factory Fan Club, then tell them this is a Ricotta Cheese Tart, otherwise they will be expecting something that tastes like a dense and creamy cheesecake and think the texture of the ricotta is grainy.

For the last year or two, give or take, M&Ms Australia has been selling white chocolate M&Ms. I like white chocolate, but I wouldn’t ordinarily go out of my way to pick some up and I didn't expect to like these when I first saw them. A few pieces later and I was hooked. They have the same, familiar candy shell as the classic milk chocolate candies, but lighter in color and filled with a smooth white chocolate. The chocolate was very creamy and made a perfect contrast to the crisp coating. They were a bit sweeter than regular M&Ms, but they were also more satisfying.

Much to my chagrin, the M&Ms Australia discontinued them and I was left without a source. Until now, that is, since Joe posted yesterday about the American release of white chocolate M&Ms! This pretty much confirms my suspicions that the Australian release was part of some test-marketing scheme for the US-based company and I’m glad to see that they’re bringing them back.

[Photo by Nicole Weston]

My refrigerator is always full of buttermilk. You see, I'm a thrifty soul, and if I need buttermilk for a recipe I can't bear to buy the pint-sized cartons. Did you even see the price per fluid ounce? No, I must go for the economical two-quart-sized container. Thing is: there is no recipe on the whole earth that calls for a half gallon of buttermilk.* Instead, I measure out 1/2 cup or five tablespoons or some other amazingly tiny quantity. And then, every time I pick up a recipe, I think, how can I use buttermilk in this?

So when I was looking for a recipe for scones the other day, I was terrifically happy to find this one on Nicole's blog. I made it, with great success, and then started scheming. How could I use even more of the ingredients slowly turning from "non-perishable" to "perished" in my pantry shelves? I emailed Nicole, I rummaged to find white chocolate chips and dried blueberries and I made these fantastic drop scones. [click through for recipe]

*portions of this post may be highly exaggerated.

I know that there's still plenty of time between now and Halloween or Day of the Dead, but I think that these life-size chocolate skulls bear mentioning. According to skull-making chocolatier Marina Malvada, the skulls are cast from a food-grade silicone mold that was, in turn, molded from a real human skull. I'm not sure if the skulls are solid chocolate, but that would be my guess, as each one costs over $100. They're available in white, dark, semisweet and "bone," which, according to the site, is a blend of Belgian white and milk chocolates.

When I saw these angelic little truffles staring at me during the last day of the Portland Farmer's Market, I knew I'd love them. So first I tasted a bite of the coffee truffle from Hot Chefs, to work up to it. Good. But not explosive. I waited for a customer to finish her purchase and grabbed a chunk. It melted on my tongue so slowly, releasing a powerfully spicy flavor of fresh gingerroot, nutty coconut. I'm savoring it in my memory still and it's been almost a week. It's the ultimate holiday treat.

[Photo Sarah Gilbert]

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