I was introduced to this technique by my school, Ecole Chocolat, who got the idea from Valrhona – the legendary French chocolate maker.

Because it’s done over low heat, this technique takes up a lot of time (about an hour or so). It’s time consuming, but you can do this ahead of time, and the results are worth it. Caramelization adds a deep, nutty flavour to the white chocolate. Very yummy…

The Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to about 250F or 275F – a low heat setting will help control the caramelization process. If you set it too high, you may end up scorching the chocolate.

2. Place the white chocolate evenly across a pan. Here, I’m using white chocolate chips – if you’re using chocolate from a block, you’ll need to coarsely chop up the chocolate beforehand. Make sure you’re using a high quality white chocolate.

3. Place the pan in the oven. Every 5-8 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and stir the chocolate before placing the pan back in the oven. Stirring is essential to the caramelization process and it needs to be done often. So yes, make sure you frequently stir and monitor your chocolate.

4. At some point, the chocolate will begin to get clumpy and will lose it’s smooth texture. Don’t worry, it won’t stay that way – keep stirring the chocolate and the smooth texture will come back.

5. Over time, you’ll see the chocolate take on a golden yellow colour. Remember to keep checking and stirring.

After about fifty minutes or so, the chocolate will have turned a beautiful golden yellow colour – a sign that it’s caramelized.

And now, serve the white chocolate as a complement to, or even as an alternative to dark chocolate fondue. If you want, add a pinch or two of your favorite salt to further enhance the caramel flavour. You can also add a bit of cream if you feel the chocolate is too thick.

Fruit is always a good option for dipping – apples, strawberries, mangoes. Mmm….