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This is a wintertime topic. Anywhere you can recommend for excellent hot chocolate? The only one I could find discussed here is Le Pichet's, which I've tried, and it's delicious but not drinkable. It's extremely rich, like liquid chocolate mousse. I'm looking for a deliciously chocolatey drink that's a beverage, not a dessert. The one I tried most recently was at Top Pot, and it was unsatisfactory, more like warm vaguely chocolate-flavored milk. With all the coffeehouses in town, I'm sure someone is making a good hot chocolate. Suggestions welcomed. (Matthew makes a fabulous hot chocolate from Pierre Herme's recipe, but I'd like somewhere to get a good one while away from home.)

So my copy of Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Herme, written by Dorie Greenspan, finally arrived. I'd like to work through the book (and maybe throw in some stuff from his other book with Dorie Greenspan). And it would be great to have some eGullet bakers along for the ride. Anybody want to make something this weekend? I'm thinking a cake or tart to start with? Maybe the Apricot & Ginger Chocolate Loaf Cake (p. 3) or the Chocolate & Raspberry Tart (p. 97) (if raspberries don't cost $5.00 a half-pint)? I'm totally open to other ideas. I'm also thinking about making something in the middle of next week to bring to my sister-in-law's house for Thanksgiving, maybe the Moist and Nutty Brownies (p. 61), or the Hazelnut Chocolate Sables (p. 69)?

The mechanism for tempering chocolate is well known, as is the taste preference for the form V crystalline polymorph of cocoa butter. But, what is special about that polymorph when compared to the other five? Jim

I'm looking for a premium hot chocolate to serve in a cafe. Someone recommended Ghiradelli which I plan to try. What else? Jacques Torres is out - they won't sell their hot chocolate unless you buy their candy. I'm also going to the Chocolate Show in NY tomorrow and these are the exhibitors. Anyone that I should make a point of seeing?

Just wondering how well frozen ganache defrosts, anyone?

I just ran across these: http://www.e-royce.com/servlet/product?item=920 chocolate covered potato chips..... why would someone do this???? I also recently had the joy of eating chocolate covered gummies, I couldn't spit it out fast enough. for the record, I also hate chocolate covered pretzels....

Do you recommend it, and how does it compare with other Dutched cocoa powders, such as Droste, Bensdorp, etc?

Unforunately I don't get the chance to try a wide variety of chocolate brands. I recently bought Valrona's milk chocolate (retail) and I personally was a little supprised by it. I'm currently using all E. Guttaird's line at work.........I've always thought the E. Guttaird milk chocolate to be a little bit waxie and timid (compared to fechlin's I used at a previous job, and admired)..........until I tasted Valrona's. I expected the Valrona to be great and really much better then the Guttiard and Fechlin, I'm supprised that I thought it wasn't nearly as good. This has me wondering if others feel the same way, that Valrona's milk chocolate is pretty weak? Or am I missing something? Am I comparing it too much to a typical American candy bar and not really the 'right standards'? So, who's milk chocolate are you buying?

In the Fall 2001 issue of Martha Stewart Weddings magazine, on page 292, there appeared a wedding cake done by Wendy Kromer. It was totally covered with rose-petal-shaped chocolate. I attempted to recreate this, but with no success. I used Valrhona chocolate as directed. I would love to master the technique used to make this chocolate shape and am hoping someone can provide an explanation for how I might succeed the next time I try this.

Hi All, Can someone please educate me on the rationale behind using parafin wax when melting chocolate. I have come across a recipe that I want to try out and it calls for melting chocolate with 1/4 of a parafin bar of wax. I have never done this before and I have seen other recipes but I never been willing to try them because of the wax factor. Thanks in advance for the lesson.

I hope this is the right forum for this inquiry - I've never posted here before! My daughter is turning three on November 12, and we are having a big party on the 14th. The party will be for both adult family and all of her friends. The theme is Halloween Redux, and everyone will be in costumes. All of the decor will be Halloween, and the activities will be Halloween-related as well (painting mini-pumpkins, etc.). When I asked Dylan what kind of cake she wanted, she said she wants a hot pink chocolate cake. She has clarified that the hot pink is referring to the frosting (or crossing, as she says). Here is what I'm wondering: What is the best chocolate cake recipe for 3 year olds? I want something moist but not fudgy. They are all likely used to cake mix cakes, which I refuse to do, but I don't want to fall on my sword - I want them to actually eat it. How can I decorate it? Hot pink isn't exactly "Halloween'y". Luckily, Dyl's costume is a hot pink (see a theme here?) butterfly, so I'm thinking I can coordinate? What shape is best? My friend offered to lend me her round cake pan, which makes a giant half dome. I think that might be hard to cut. I am leaning towards a sheet cake, as that will be easy to cut and serve out to the little ones. A layer cake seems too large for 3 year olds. We'll probably have about 10 kids and 10 - 15 adults. Thanks all!

A friend asked me about this today because he was offered the aforementioned combination while tailgating at the Bears/Eagles game yesterday here in Chicago. To my knowledge, this is not a typically "Chicago" thing. He'd never heard of such a thing and neither have I. I could see possibly including some unsweetened chocolate in batch of chili (still doesn't sound promising to me), but finished semi-sweet chips as a garnish is new to me and frankly, doesn't sound appetizing at all. Has anyone encountered this before? Any idea about the origin of such a combination? =R=

Made a chocolate buttercream 10 whole eggs + 1 1/2 c sugar +1.5 lbs BS chcolate + 18 tab butter. BUT, mistakenly added 2 tab water to egg & sugar mix. Results: 1.egg & sugar didn't thicken as well as usual 2.final mix is less thick than usual...somewhere between glaze and usual buttercream Am now refridgerating mix to see if it thickens. Two questions: a.Do I need to re-whip [fluff] the buttercream because I refridgerated it? b.If it's still too thin, can I add something to thicken it---more chocolate or egg?--and how do I proceed with this. Thanks

I was told I'd have better luck posting this here - sorry for any duplication. _______________________ I'm trying to develop a drink for the cold months but I can't seem to get past first base. Perhaps this a moronic question, but what temperature should a hot milk shake be? My idea which I tried and like - is to make a spicy hot chocolate and chocolate milk shake separately. The milk shake is made with just enough milk so it blends somewhat smoothly, i.e., about 3 oz. of milk and 6 oz. of ice cream (as well as chocolate syrup.) The hot chocolate was about 7 ounces, so the yield totaled about 16 oz. I first poured the hot chocloate in the glass and then added the shake. So it was hot on bottom and cold on top when served. Is this what is meant when people refer to hot chocolate shake? Someone (Holly?) came up with the following.... A black and white shake with marshmellow fluff on top or mixed in. If she's reading this, can you expand on the recipe? Thanks.

I was at a store that sold olives and I saw a package that looked like olives but it said they were "chocolate olives". I thought they might be chocolate covered olives or chocolate stuffed olives. That sounded pretty disgusting to me so I figured I had better investigate further. They ended up being chocolate covered almonds that looked very much like olives. They looked like this: Chocolate "olives" I tried putting one on a cocktail fork in a chocolate martini that was made with Ketel One Vodka with a splash of clear Creme de Cacao. It looked just like a regular martini. Pretty cool. It needed to be consumed relatively quickly though as the liquid melted the chocolate olive after a little while.

Hi Kathy, I haven't tried any of these myself, but thought you might want to have a look: Coconut Chocolate Rolls Chocolate Burfee Chocolate Samosa. //Scroll down to page 10 When you said molé, it occured to me that perhaps you could add some dark chocolate to rajma - not sure if it'll work though. Episure, any thoughts? Let me know how it goes. Suman

Last night, I dined at a fine local establishment. My companions ordered coffee at the end of the meal, and the server brought out a lovely small tray with lump white sugar, lump brown sugar, the usual Sweet 'n Low and Equal packets, and a lot of little dark things described as "chocolate-covered licorice lentils". This was a first for me. Seemed like a nice idea, but how common is it? Or anything like it?

I know very little about chocolate...so I would really appreciate your help here. When a recipe calls for unsweetened chocolate, can I use Lindt 58% Bittersweet? I'd rather stick with Lindt as that's what is the most available here. Is unsweetened same as couverture?

Anyone familiar with Schokinag Chocolate? Thoughts, opinions? We currently have their bittersweet 6438 and white at work and I'm trying to convince the exec chef to switch to Valrhona, Callebaut or Guittard for the new restaurant. The bittersweet isn't too bad but the white isn't very impressive at all. This is the first time I've worked with it and was just wondering what other think of it. Thanks

Anyone have tips on extremely good combinations of aged rum and chocolate, or know of good websites that have? Specific bottlings and brand of chocolate is appreciated. The ones I have found so far (but not tested) is: Gran Reserva Solera 15 años & chocolate mousse. Gay Rum Extra Old 12 years & Trinidad truffle. Saint James Rhum Vieux Agricole & Valrhona MANJARI ORANGES 64%. El Dorado Special Reserve 21 years & Valrhona GUANAJA 70%. Troi Rivieres Milissime 1977 & Valrona GRAN COUVA Anyone tested one of the above combinations?

I would like to send a gift of caramels to a friend but am not sure it is feasible. I am planning on freezing them and then shipping the caramels overnight. Fed Ex won't do it so I guess I am stuck with UPS. I can't be the first person to do this, can I? Is this absurd? Can I do it? How? Help!

Majestic Flourless Chocolate Cake by Debra Diller I make this cake for the Majestic Cafe in Michigan, so I called it the Majestic Flourless cake. I have tried many flourless cakes and this one I believe is the best. It is really is enjoyed as a miniature because it is very rich. This recipe makes about 30-6 oz cups/cakes. oz 64% Chocolate (Valrhona or Noel) oz Unsalted Butter 1 pinch kosher salt 2 c Hot Water 1/2 oz Espresso powder (Magdelia d'oro) oz Sugar (#1) 18 lg eggs 9 oz sugar (#2) Preheat oven to 290 F. Melt Butter and Chocolate over double boiler until fully melted. Dissolve sugar #1 in hot water and add espresso powder. Buzz eggs with sugar #2 with immersion blender. Temper eggs into hot water mixture and buzz with immersion blender. Add chocolate/butter mixture. Buzz with immersion blender until smooth. Spray pans and place on a sheet tray or hotel pan. Fill pans with mixture and place in oven. Add water to pan to make a water bath. Rotate trays as needed for even baking. Depending on size of pan will determine length of baking. As my pastry chef says, bake it until it is done. Keywords: Dessert, Immersion Blender, Intermediate, Chocolate, Cake ( RG1163 )

Majestic Flourless Chocolate Cake by Debra Diller I make this cake for the Majestic Cafe in Michigan, so I called it the Majestic Flourless cake. I have tried many flourless cakes and this one I believe is the best. It is really is enjoyed as a miniature because it is very rich. This recipe makes about 30-6 oz cups/cakes. oz 64% Chocolate (Valrhona or Noel) oz Unsalted Butter 1 pinch kosher salt 2 c Hot Water 1/2 oz Espresso powder (Magdelia d'oro) oz Sugar (#1) 18 lg eggs 9 oz sugar (#2) Preheat oven to 290 F. Melt Butter and Chocolate over double boiler until fully melted. Dissolve sugar #1 in hot water and add espresso powder. Buzz eggs with sugar #2 with immersion blender. Temper eggs into hot water mixture and buzz with immersion blender. Add chocolate/butter mixture. Buzz with immersion blender until smooth. Spray pans and place on a sheet tray or hotel pan. Fill pans with mixture and place in oven. Add water to pan to make a water bath. Rotate trays as needed for even baking. Depending on size of pan will determine length of baking. As my pastry chef says, bake it until it is done. Keywords: Dessert, Immersion Blender, Intermediate, Chocolate, Cake ( RG1163 )

Well, I attempted to make Alice Medrich's Bittersweet Chocolate Ice Cream last night, and my chocolate wouldn't melt. I'm so pissed off - I had to throw the whole thing in the garbage. I followed the directions exactly - it said to heat the custard to 175-180 F, then pour over the chopped chocolate, and mix till melted. The chocolate didn't blend completely and left lots of specks after stirring for several minutes, and of course the mixture didn't become thick. This specks were not hard lumps, but they were still specks and stayed separated from the cream mixture, leaving the texture thin. I checked my candy thermometer for accuracy and it is indeed 100 % accurate. So what the *%_^*_$^)!!&(* happened? Is 175-180F not hot enough a temperature to melt chocolate?! I've used this method before with scalded cream and it usually works - can't figure out why it didn't this time. After stirring for awhile with no results, I tried to heat it a little over a double boiler and it still didn't blend. I used one of Medrich's variations (she includes several at the end of the original recipe, which I omitted here), and did 6 oz of 70% bittersweet chocolate with 1/2 cup sugar instead of the 3 1/2 oz unsweetened chocolate with 3/4 cup sugar. Note: my chocolate was at room temperature, and I chopped it into very small pieces so it wasn't overly coarse. Here's the recipe: BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM Makes about 3 1/2 cups INGREDIENTS: 3 1/2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped 1 1/2 c. heavy cream 1 1/2 c. whole milk 3/4 c. granulated sugar 1/8 tsp. salt 4 large egg yolks 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract Set a strainer over a medium bowl near the stove. Put the chocolate in a medium bowl next to it. In a 1 1/2 qt - 2 qt. saucepan, bring the cream, milk, sugar and salt to a simmer over medium heat. Meanwhile, in a third medium bowl, whisk the yolks just to combine them. Whisking constantly, pour the hot cream mixture slowly over the yolks. Scrape the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over mdium heat, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula or a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens slightly and registers between 175 and 180 degrees F. Strain the mixture into the waiting bowl to remove any bits of cooked egg. Stir in the vanilla. Pour just enough of the hot cream mixture over the chocolate to cover it. Stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is thick and smooth. Gradually add the rest of the cream mixture, stirring until perfectly blended and smooth. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. Freeze according to the instructions for your ice-cream maker.

Hot Chocolate Fudge Sauce Serves 2. I got this from my great-aunt Maisie. Not a speck of real chocolate in it, but it's still delicious. 1 oz butter 1 oz cocoa 1/2 tsp vanilla essence 2 T water 1/2 oz sugar (optional - depends how sweet you like your sauce) 1 T golden syrup Combine ingredients in pan over low heat and whisk till melted. Increase heat to boiling. The longer you boil it, the fudgier it becomes, but I've never managed longer than a couple of minutes. Break out the vanilla icecream and go. Keywords: Dessert, Easy, Chocolate, Ice Cream, Sauce ( RG1154 )