For those who think white chocolate isn’t ‘real’ chocolate, have we got bars for you

For years, connoisseurs dismissed white chocolate – a confection made with cocoa butter, milk solids and sugar, but with none of the cocoa solids that give darker chocolate its recognizable flavor and color.

Besides the absence of cocoa solids, the reputation stems from white chocolate products often containing additives such as palm oil and other fillers, plus an excess of sweeteners. But a growing number of specialty chocolate companies are now giving the same attention to white chocolate as dark or milk chocolate, and trying to highlight the ways it can showcase flavor.

A cocoa bean is made up of roughly equal parts cocoa butter and cacao nibs. Cocoa butter is what gives chocolate its rich mouthfeel, and the nibs hold most of the distinctive smell and taste. Absent of nibs, “white chocolate is basically just sweet fat,” said Clay Gordon, creator of the Chocolate Life website, “with a melt that is unencumbered by the nonfat cocoa solids, or cocoa powder.”

For a chocolate to be labeled as chocolate, as opposed to candy, the Food and Drug Administration requires the bar be made up of at least 10 percent cocoa mass (nibs plus the cocoa fat inherent to the bean), with no specifications about cocoa butter. White chocolate, on the other hand, has to have a cocoa butter content of at least 20 percent and does not require the inclusion of nibs.

Pastry chef and cookbook author David Lebovitz disputes the idea that it’s not really chocolate. “Bickering over the nomenclature becomes tiring,” he said in an email. “We still call hamburgers by that name, even though they are not made of ham, and milkshakes actually aren’t shaken these days, but blended. So I think it’s OK to group white chocolate in with the rest of the variety of things made from cacao beans, since they all have the same base.”

The history of white chocolate is largely unclear, but “the general consensus,” said Eagranie Yuh, author of “The Chocolate Tasting Kit,” “is that Nestle was the first to develop white chocolate commercially in 1936 in Switzerland. The story is that it was a way to use up excess milk powder that had been produced for World War I and was no longer in demand.”

White chocolate is also a way to use extra cocoa butter extracted from the cocoa bean when making cocoa powder. This fat is the most highly regarded byproduct of chocolate production, valued not only in chocolate but cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Because of these qualities, the cost of cocoa butter more than doubled between 2005 and 2015, and it’s why many large-scale manufacturers substitute a portion of their cocoa butter with fillers such as vegetable oil that significantly reduce cost.

White chocolate, Yuh said, is a canvas for other flavors, offering “surprising breadth and utility.”

That’s why Castronovo and other specialty chocolate makers are embracing white chocolate as a new frontier for flavor, creating combinations that push the boundaries – such as rosemary and sea salt from Forte in Seattle and white chocolate infused with Mosaic beer hops from Somerville Chocolate in Massachusetts.

“The hops idea came about because of the glorious, steamy clouds of fruity hops aroma that waft over to my workspace when the brewery next door dumps the mash from their tanks,” Somerville’s Eric Parkes said. “They use my nibs in their beer, and I wanted to work with something of theirs.”

So what should curious chocolate lovers look for in the white stuff? First, check the ingredients list, Yuh said, “which should include only sugar, cocoa butter, milk solids or milk powder and, possibly, lecithin and vanilla. If you can, also check the color. If the bar is bright white, it’s been bleached and probably deodorized. High-quality white chocolate tends to be slightly yellow because cocoa butter is naturally yellow.” Yuh also recommends purchasing chocolates from a specialty grocer or dedicated craft chocolate shop.

One such purveyor is Oregon’s Cacao Portland. Co-founder Aubrey Lindley considers white chocolate more of a confection than chocolate. “I like my white chocolate to be delicate, creamy and honest – and not feel like wax or shortening in the mouth,” he said.

And what about the absence of milk powder in these newer chocolates? Lindley said the FDA definition should evolve to mean a chocolate with no cocoa mass, but composed of cocoa butter, sugar and other ingredients. Not fillers, but flavors, he said, “that bring pleasure.”

Sethi is the author of “Bread, Wine, Chocolate: The Slow Loss of Foods We Love” and the host/creator of “The Slow Melt” chocolate podcast.

Roasted Parsnip White Chocolate Soup

Adapted from a recipe at FrancineSegan.com

This is an interesting and delicious soup with just the perfect hint of white chocolate sweetness. It’s an unusual treat that you could start – or end – a meal with. Be sure to use a good-quality white chocolate, preferably with 35 percent cacao, such as Valrhona brand.

2 pounds parsnips (about 4 or 5 large parsnips)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

2 medium Vidalia onions, thinly sliced

2 quarts no-salt-added or low-sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup chopped, good-quality white chocolate

1 cup heavy cream

Juice of 1 lime

2 tablespoons minced fresh dill, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Trim, peel and cut the parsnips crosswise into 1-inch-thick rounds, placing them on a rimmed baking sheet as you go. Use the 2 tablespoons of oil to brush them lightly. Roast (middle rack) for about 40 minutes, until they begin to soften and brown.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large pot over medium-low heat. Stir in the onion and cook for about 10 minutes, or until translucent. Add the broth, vanilla extract and the roasted parsnips. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for about 20 minutes, until the parsnips are very soft. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Stir in the white chocolate; cook for about 5 minutes, until melted. Remove from the heat, then stir in the heavy cream.

Use an immersion (stick) blender to puree until smooth, then add the lime juice and puree just long enough to incorporate. Divide among individual bowls; garnish with the dill and serve warm.

Yield: 8 servings

Make ahead: The parsnips can be roasted, cooled and refrigerated up to 3 days in advance.