Hot Chocolate for a Cold Day

Baile na BuaileI shouldn’t be in the office on a Saturday, but it’s snowing outside, and besides the plumber and refrigeration guy have come to try to fix our water chiller, showing such diligence on a Saturday, that here I am.

A couple of days ago, I found a blog called The Big Drought that made a mention of this site, and he talked about the hot chocolate he drank in our shop. Bittersweet chocolateGiven the weather, and given the fact the fellow’s off drink for the year, I thought I’d give up the recipe for our bittersweet hot chocolate.

It’s thick, rich, and not for the faint-hearted!

The ingredients are simple, but the process is important if you want a smooth result.

Murphys Bittersweet Hot Chocolate

125 g chocolate (good quality 70%)
500 ml milk
45 gm sugar (2 tablespoons + 1.5 teaspoons)

Chocolate1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or microwave.
2. Heat the milk and sugar together to about 45C and make sure the sugar is dissolved.
3. Add the warmed milk to the melted chocolate in small parts, mixing all the time, to create a smooth emulsion.
4. Warm to drinking temperature (55C).
5. Garnish with grated chocolate and/or whipped cream and enjoy!

Four servings.

Notes:

Hot Chocolate1. The quality will really depend on the quality of chocolate that you use. I suggest Valrhona, Callebaut, or Lindt dark chocolate.

2. The amount of sugar will vary depending on the chocolate. Obviously you can add more if you want it sweeter. Adding less won’t necessarily make it more “chocolate-y” as the taste buds need some sweetness to bring out the flavour of the chocolate.

3. See also Chocolate and Chocolate Sauce

Technorati tags: , , , ,

5 thoughts on “Hot Chocolate for a Cold Day

  1. Kevin, you’re a rock star.

    This stuff is magical, I’ll give it a shot and let you know how I go with it.

    On top of being off booze, I got embroiled in a lenten challenge with my girlfriend that has me off coffee too.

    But she’s off chocolate, so I’ll be just delighted to make this and let her know how it tastes, as she has a penchant for making strong vanilla amaretto coffee for breakfast all of a sudden.

    Thanks for posting it!!

    PS: See the comment on mulley.net?

  2. Excellent. Let me know how it works, and how green your girlfriend goes with envy.

    My thoughts on Lent, I think will be the next post.

    I did see mulley.net, thanks!

  3. mmmmm….that sounds gorgeous! I’ve recently been experimenting with Pierre Herme’s hot chocolate recipe (carmelise the sugar with a cinnamon stick, add milk and a little water, then heat with chocolate) but the Boyfriend has been complaining that it’s more like chocolate soup than hot chocolate. Must try this recipe and see if it suits him better!

Leave a Comment

*