Valrhona Dulcey: Pecan Blond Chocolate Disks

A few months ago, I was at Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, California when I came across the Valrhona Chocolate booth. The French chocolatier is the first-choice for pastry chefs who depend on a high-quality product. I was introduced to a new Valrhona product, Dulcey, by the Valrhona representative and given a bar to try. Valrhona Dulcey is quite the unusual chocolate product, as it doesn't fall into the white/milk/dark chocolate categories. This product is a "blond chocolate" that is basically a byproduct of caramelizing white chocolate. The taste is out-of-this-world and hints at shortbread and condensed milk with a slight salty touch. It's a rather unique taste that I foresee becoming a hit.

Anyhow, I had my bar of Valrhona Dulcey sitting around and was unsure what to do with it. After shooting down ideas for frosting, ganache, and cookies, I felt that the best thing to do was to leave this incredible chocolate in-tact without modifying the taste too much. I wanted my guests to try out my Dulcey-inspired treat without missing out on the original taste of the product. The idea for Pecan Blonde Chocolate Disks was born!

Ingredients:
One bar of Valrhona Dulcey Chocolate
A handful of pecans

Recipe:
1. Heat Valrhona Dulcey Chocolate in double-broiler.
2. Remove from heat.
3. Use large spoon to scoop Dulcey onto wax sheet while creating circular disk shape.
3. Place one pecan in center of disk while chocolate is still warm; sprinkle chopped pecan pieces throughout disk.
4. Allow disks to cool for 10 minutes then transport to refrigerator for additional 30 minutes.
5. Pecan Blonde Chocolate Disks are ready.