Did you know you can caramelize white chocolate?
I recently learned that, when warmed up enough, the sugar inside this chocolate begins to turn into caramel, just like any other kind. The result is a very unique tasting chocolate and as soon as I tried it I knew I had to try to make a pie with it.
After trying a few different types of crust, the pistachio crust was the undeniable winner. The crunchy and lightly salty taste balances the strong sweetness of the filling. It takes some patience to caramelize the chocolate, but I promise you it is worth it!
Sabiam que é possível caramelizar o chocolate branco?
Pistachio and Caramelized White Chocolate Pie
a delicious flavor clash
Ingredientes
Pistachio Crust
- 80 g peeled unsalted pistachios (about 160 g shelled)
- 115 g unsalted butter (softened)
- 1 tsp table salt
- 120 g all-purpose flour
Caramelized White Chocolate Filling
- 400 g white chocolate
- 400 ml heavy cream
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter (melted)
- 20 g peeled unsalted pistachios
Preparação
Pistachio Crust
- Preheat the oven to 180 º C.
- In a food processor, grind the pistachios to a powder.
- Mix the flour with the pistachios in a bowl.
- Beat the butter, sugar and salt until the mixture becomes a lighter color.
- Add the flour mixture little by little until fullly incorporated.
- Grease and line with parchement paper a round 22 cm diameter springform pan.
- Transfer the dough to the pan, smoothening it over to create the base of the pie.
- With a fork, poke holes in the dough's entire surface. Bake for about 20 minutes or until it is a nice golden color. Let it cool down completely.
Caramelized White Chocolate Filling
- Chop the white chocolate and place in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Warm up the white chocolate in the microwave, in 30 second intervals, until melted evenly.
- Continue to microwave the chocolate, mixing with a hand whisker between each interval. This process can take a while, so be patient and keep whisking. Eventually, the chocolate will start to caramelize until it is a nice golden color. Let it cool down completely.
- In the meantime, beat the heavy cream in the mixer to stiff peaks. Set aside about 100 grams for the decoration.
- Melt the butter and whisk it into the cooled chocolate.
- Gently fold in the the whipped cream in the mixture.
- Spread this cream on the surface of the pie and smoothen it over with a spatula. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
- Remove the pie from the pan and decorate with remaining chopped pistachio and whipped cream.
