I’m sitting in the Catskill mountains where it as in the 60s a few days ago. Today we have three inches of snow and the chill factor is below zero.
The calendar says spring is 10 days away. It’s further than that.
The solution? Hot chocolate. The guide? Hot Chocolate by Hannah Painter. This small book, from Ryland Peters & Small, has about 25 recipes that take you on a world tour of hot chocolate.
There are classics here: French Vanilla Hot Chocolate and Viennese Hot Chocolate. There’s a Chocolat L’Africain from famed Angelina’s in Paris.
There’s a recipe for intense Mocha, serious hot chocolate with two shots of espresso. A little more complicated is the Sea Salt HotChocolate with two unusual ingredients: salt and an egg yolk. The salt — and you want just a touch here per serving — does accentuate the chocolate flavor. More importantly, stirring in an egg yolk makes for a thicker product. The recipe follows at the end of this post.
There are some “modern” ideas here: S’mores Hot Chocolate with graham crackers on the rim. The Turkish Delight uses rose extract plus some edible rose petals. And an adult idea or two appear: Maple Pecan Bourbon Hot Chocolate or the Spanish La Bomba with a little dose of rum.
If you love hot chocolate, but want some variety, then Hot Chocolate will fill your cup. And here is the Sea Salt Hot Chocolate for your winter pleasure.
Sea Salt Hot Chocolate
Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 ½ ounces bittersweet chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1 egg yolk
Preparation:
Place the milk, cream and chopped chocolate in a saucepan with the sugar and salt, and heat over low heat until the chocolate has melted, whisking all the time.
Taste to see whether you need to add a little more salt for an extra salty kick. Remove from the heat and whisk in the egg yolk to thicken the hot chocolate.
Pass it through a sieve/strainer, then pour into two cups and serve immediately.