• 4 1/2 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 stick unsalted butter, softened
• Pinch of salt

1. Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler (see note). Stir until smooth. Let cool to room temperature.
2. Sift the confectioners' sugar into a medium bowl.
3. Stir in the milk and vanilla.
4. Add the butter and salt and beat until smooth.
5. Stir in the cooled white chocolate.
6. Refrigerate until firm enough to frost the cupcakes, about 30 minutes.

(Recipe courtesy of Emily Luchetti's 'A Passion for Desserts' via Leite's Culinaria) NOTE ON MELTING CHOCOLATE: Bring a pot one-third full of water to a boil. Turn off the heat and place a stainless steel bowl over the water (you can also use a double boiler). Make sure the bowl is sitting over, not in, the water, as chocolate will scorch if it gets too hot. (To check this, place the bowl on the pot and then pick it up to see if there is any water on the bottom of the bowl). The residual heat will melt the chocolate. While the chocolate is melting, stir occasionally. If you haven't stirred the chocolate while it was melting, it may look unmelted on top, but the rest of it could be melted. This is especially important with milk and white chocolates since they scorch easily.