Hot Chocolate: November 2005 Archives

When I want a really quickie hot chocolate, I heat 1 percent milk in the microwave and squeeze in a very generous amount of Hershey's syrup. IMHO, better than the powdered packets or Ovaltine, which I've also tried.

They signal to the consumer that this is serious business by taking away all the choices that Starbucks is usually known (and mocked) for. It comes in one size (in a espresso-size cup) and there's no low-foam, decaf, no-fat or flavor shots (although that could have some potential, right?). The best thing about this was the texture, kind of chalky, like a high-cocoa-percentage chocolate. It fills your mouth in a really satisfying way. I like my cocoa less sweet, though, in most cases, and it was more milky than the two recipes I've tried at home.

I made the Cook's Illustrated version of hot cocoa, but I feel like I need to do it again, not because it didn't turn out well, but because I was missing a couple of ingredients so I made some substitutions. While some authors might approve of my tinkering, that's not really of the whole Cook's Illustrated spirit.

The Cook's Illustrated recipe called for Dutched cocoa and I used regular. After reading the Zingerman's description of the differences between the two (the dutching process smooths out the acidity of the cocoa and results in a less-strong flavor) I feel like maybe I'll like the natural cocoa powder better anyway. Only one way to find out.

I also omitted the shot of half-and-half the Cook's Illustrated takes at the end, only because I didn't have any. I liked what I ended up with, though. It's very similar in process to the recipe from Bittersweet and the results are about the same (maybe a bit less rich and a bit more bite), plus it's a little bit easier because there's no chocolate to chop.

Whisk together 3 tablespoons of natural cocoa, 2 tablespoons of sugar and a pinch of salt. Whisk in 1/2 cup water and simmer, whisking, for a couple of minutes (they say this cooks the cocoa and allows it to bloom, releasing the fruit, chocolate and coffee flavors and giving it a toasty undertone). Add 1 1/2 cups low-fat milk and heat until bubbles form around the edge (do not boil). Stir in a dash of vanilla extract.