Chocolate Hedonist's Hot Chocolate
I asked my friend, Bay-area food writer, Marlene Sorosky Gray, who has written numerous bestselling cookbooks, to share one of her favorite chocolate-based drink recipes.
I played around with it, trying different liqueurs, and offer this delicious variation on a theme for Valentine’s Day. Or, for that matter, any day of the week ending with a “Y.”
You can use any unsweetened store-bought baking chocolate, or you can get really fancy and use Amano chocolate.
Please don’t treat this as a scientific experiment, in which you have to follow the recipe using a pipette to measure liquids; this is an alcohol-based chocolate beverage, meant to be served after dinner, or for breakfast if that special someone stays over for the night and is still with you in the morning!
And don’t be stuck with the quantities of liqueur I have recommended; these are the volumes that worked for me. You may prefer to add an additional splash.
In blender, or work bowl of food processor, combine hot milk, chopped chocolate, vanilla and liqueur. Blend until chocolate is melted and fully integrated. Pour into serving cups or glasses. Top with a swirl of whipped cream and a sprinkling of cocoa powder. Serve immediately.
Jim White
Jim White lives in Napa Valley, California, where he makes wine, and writes about food and wine for his own site napaman.com. Jim is also a co-founder and active partner in one of North America’s most successful commercial bakeries, FGF Brands, in Toronto, Ontario. Over a span of 30 years, as one of North America’s leading food and beverage product developers, Jim successfully brought to market more than 10,000 products. Jim attributes his product development success to the journalistic approach he brings to each food assignment; he has an innate curiosity to know how things work, or why they taste the way they do. It makes sense that Jim propels his food career with journalistic principles as he has had a parallel career in journalism for all the years he created food products. In the 1970s, Jim was a foreign correspondent in Africa, covering wars and famines, writing for the largest newspapers in North America, for UPI and the Associated Press. In the 1980s, Jim became food editor and restaurant critic of The Toronto Star, one of the largest newspapers in North America. Although twice named “Best Food Writer in North America,” Jim has also always been passionate about the visual element; he is an accomplished photographer, and over the years has sold images to Life, Time and Newsweek magazines.