Chocolat Chaud - Testing

 I'd been looking for a recipe that looked as thick and rich as the hot chocolate Juliette Binoche serves Dame Judy Dench in the film Chocolat, and never found it, so I made up my own. Ben calls it my melted chocolate bar drink because I like it so thick! You can add more cream if you like. 😉

1 - I've made this at Valley Home but not since, and I didn't write down the quantities I used, but I have the gist of it written down here.

2 - This is apparently too decadent for most. I'm crossing it out and replacing it with a Parisian hot chocolate from David Lebowitz to try out. https://www.davidlebovitz.com/parisian-hot-ch-1/?fbclid=IwAR3lr5thKWBFIs3m9CUQiUCuuBdnzstzoPyZD7a2Fu5HHpy7zu6iryD1I3Y

Per serving

1/2 cup heavy cream

? oz 70% dark chocolate

? Tbsp (for chocolate past, I should weigh and measure out 30% sugar?)

Cinnamon, ground

Cayenne pepper

Clove, ground

1. Gently heat in a bain marie just until it barely achieves a boil.
2. In a small bowl combine the sugar along with a dash of cinnamon, a sprinkle of cayenne, and a mere soupçon of clove.
3. Add the chocolate and the sugar blend to the cream and stir until the chocolate melts; keep warm in the bain marie if you make more than one cup. Enjoy. 

2 cups (500ml) whole milk

5 ounces (130g) bittersweet chocolate, (best-quality), finely chopped

optional: 2 tablespoons light brown sugar

(think of adding some of the spices from above)

1. Heat the milk in a medium-sized saucepan.
2. Once the milk is warm, remove from heat and whisk in the chocolate, stirring until the chocolate is melted. For a thick hot chocolate, return to heat and cook at a very low boil for about 2-3 minutes, whisking constantly. Be careful and keep an eye on the mixture, as it may boil up a bit during the first moments.
3. Taste, and add brown sugar if desired.
4. Serve warm in demitasse cups, or small coffee or tea cups.

Note: This hot chocolate improves if made ahead and allowed to sit for a few hours. Rewarm before serving.