Hot chocolate can be a delicious and comforting beverage,
especially during cold winter months. If chilled, however, you'll
have a refreshing drink or possibly a dessert depending on how you
dress it up.
Hot chocolate should not to be confused with hot cocoa. The
former is made with actual chocolate and is a richer, much more
substantial beverage. The latter is produced from cocoa powder or
from a manufactured product containing cocoa powder such as hot
cocoa mixes available at grocery stores.
This article will serve as a guideline as to how you can prepare
hot chocolate. Experiment with your own recipes and see what you
can create. The possibilities are endless!
Ingredients
Optional Ingredients:
- Cream
- Pinch of salt
- Flavorings, such as herbs, spices, liqueur, mint etc.
Steps
- Obtain some good quality chocolate. This can be milk, dark, or
even white chocolate, depending on your preferences and flavors you
wish to add.
Chop the chocolate finely on a clean cutting board or counter. One
of the easiest ways to chop the chocolate is to use a serrated
knife. Make sure the cutting surface has not been exposed to onions
or other strong smelling foods. Residual odors can contaminate the
chocolate and impart undesirable flavors.
The amount of chocolate you use depends on how strong and rich you
want the beverage to be. A good starting point is 25g of chocolate
per cup of liquid. If you need more chocolate, simply add it.- Turn the stove top to a medium-low or low setting. Pour
mil
k
or water into the pot and gently add the chopped chocolate.
- An alternative to direct heat is to double boil. If you choose
to double boil, place a small pot of water on high heat and put a
metal bowl on top. Add the chocolate and stir until fully melted
turning the heat down some once the water has reached boiling
point. Then add cream at 1:1 to the chocolate and stir, effectively
making a ganache. The ganache will be added to your mug of hot milk
when finished. Add any flavorings suggested below to the ganache
while stirring in the cream. (Using the double boil method should
make it more difficult to burn your chocolately goodness, but be
careful with the bowl as it will get hot!)
- Some people prefer milk for a richer flavor, while others favor
water. The choice here is yours, but whatever you use, make sure
each serving of hot chocolate is at least 4oz (120ml) for a richer
beverage and at most 8oz (240ml) for a thinner beverage.
- This is the point where you can add liqueur if you wish. Doing
so now will burn off some of the alcohol and mellow out the
flavor.
- Spices and other flavorings can be added here as well. To
increase their flavor presence in the hot chocolate, they will need
the opportunity to steep for a longer period of time. However, if
you want a subtler, less pronounced flavor, hold off for now.
Stir continuously with a whisk until the liquid and chocolate
combine completely. Just when you think the two are incorporated,
you might notice black flecks scattered in the chocolaty matrix.
These flecks are bits of unmelted chocolate, so you should continue
to stir until they
