Really rich, decadent hot chocolate

[Stuckey]

I'm after a recipe and ideas for making a hot chocolate mix that's really rich and decadent to give away as gifts. I had high hopes for this recipe from Epicurious, and while it was good, it wasn't as rich as I expected. I definitely want a recipe made with real chocolate, and perhaps some salt (to enhance the chocolate flavour) and maybe cinnamon? Of course, there are some limitations on making a dry mix, but for a hot chocolate mix to be added to milk, does anyone have a killer recipe?

[K8memphis]

Oh I can't wait!

[Rebecca263]

This sounds like a great idea. BUT- I make the better chocolate with a bar of chocolate, not with cocoa. Can I make a suggestion? A small bag or basket, packed with: a bar of decent chocolate, perhaps Mexican? You know, I don't care what everyone says about the high end chocolates, they're for EATING, not drinking. I use Mexican chocolate from the grocery. I find it to be delicious. Making the chocolate with no milk at all gives a completely different drink, which I, personally, savor. I DO add a touch of cream, sometimes, too. Oh, and, for extreme unctuous richness, NEVER use rice milk or low fat cow milk, although soy milk does a beautiful chocolate. A grater, a wooden spoon, raw sugar, a tiny jar of kosher salt, a good bottle of vanilla extract, a few sticks of cinnamon, some cardamom seeds, orange peel, mint leaves, and a handwritten card, with your recipe for hot chocolate, and some variations. home made marshmallows, or some well chosen kosher or vegan ones, would be a great addition, as well.

OH, NO, WAIT: EVEN BETTER! Grate some chocolate, then make a mix with the salt and sugar, jar it, and put it in a bag with the aforementioned additions- vanilla, cinnamon, etc., the spoon AND the recipe card. Wow, that would rock!

[Rebecca263]

That epicurious recipe doesn't sound as rich tasting as it does wierd. I'll wager that whoever thought it up was thinking "Gee, if I use chichi name brand stuff, the plebian folk will just LOVE this stuff!", and no, name dropping does not make food taste better. Your taste buds can't read labels.

FatGuy has just been posting about some really good and inexpensive vanilla beans he got off of ebaY. Really, if it was all in a name, things would be so much simpler, but life doesn't always work that way. Except when we are talking shoes. Yeah, shoes. The more expensive shoes are, the better. Manolo, Jimmy, Salvatore, those boys are expensive, but worth it. So, if you pack the chocolate with shoes, you should definitely go for the name. But, the chocolate itself, as long as you stay away from Hershey or Nestle, I think you're OK. There is some indefineable flavor to those Mexican kitchen bars, I have to admit; I like the strong cocoa nib flavor to them. Especially with orange peels, and cinnamon!

Regarding the vanilla, I once went wild with a batch of beans I was given by an admirer. I actually prefer extract for my hot chocolate. Or, flavored sugar.

[K8memphis]

I love Hershey's chocolate. And I'll take a pair in a size ten.

[enurmi]

I like a mix of .5-1 Tblspn each natural and dutch-process cocoa powder, with 1-2 Tblspn sugar and a pinch of kosher salt for every 1-1.5 c milk. I mix .25-.5 c of the milk into a slurry with the other ingredients as I heat the rest of the milk, then mix it all together. Delicious, and very rich.

[Shalmanese]

My secret is a pinch of cornstarch in the hot chocolate. It gives it that thick mouthfeel, like cream which makes is seem so much richer and full bodied.

[paulraphael]

I saw an interesting product at whole foods last winter ... it was high quality, powdered chocolate from south america. not cocoa--it was complete with sugar and cocoa butter, and ground in some way that kept it from glomming together. This, melted directly into hot water, hot milk, or some combination would be an excellent and easy starting point.

Pierre Herme's chocolate dessert books has some great cocoa recipes. Nice as is, or use them as starting points. The only thing I don't like about using high end chocolate for this is the price. But there are many options ... Callebaut bought in bulk costs just a bit more than Baker's nasty chocolate, and around half what you'd pay for Valrhona.

At any rate, it seems to me that using a finely chopped or ground chocolate instead of cocoa, and if you need it, using a finely ground sugar (not powdered) would get you well on the way to something that would disolve easily.

[Megan Blocker]

Finishing with an immersion blender has been key for me...and I agree with Rebecca that you should just give out bars of chocolate and a fabulous recipe. Pierre Herme's Classic Hot Chocolate is ridiculously good, and the closest I've come to replicating a Czech hot chocolate (the best I've ever tried) like this one:

Edited March 30, 2007 by Megan Blocker (log)

[alanamoana]

12C (3qt) ½ & ½

zest from ½ an orange removed with a veg peeler

3 cinnamon sticks

1C brown sugar

1#2oz 61% chocolate

1C brandy

heat and infuse the first four ingredients, strain over the chocolate (to remove zest and cinnamon) and use immersion blender to smooth out. add brandy (or alcohol of your choice) at the end. you can store this in the fridge and heat it up when you want some hot chocolate. of course, you can add more or less chocolate depending on your taste and omit the alcohol too.

this is a recipe i used at a restaurant where we gave shooters of hot chocolate along with the petit fours at the end of the meal (in winter). it probably isn't as rich as the pierre herme or czech hot chocolate, but pretty delicious for at home drinking.

[PandoraLost]

I generally use dutch-processed cocoa for my hot chocolate. For one serving I combine three tablespoons dutch process cocoa, two of sugar, a pinch of salt, and just enough water to make a slurry. I cook it for a few seconds and add a cup and a half of whole milk. Let it simmer, stirring it occasionally, and add vanilla at the end. I also like to add a little orange liqueur or some cherry brandy at the end.

To make something giftable, I guess, combine cocoa and sugar to a 2-1 or a 2-1.5 ratio, with just enough salt to bring out the chocolate flavor, and a little vanilla bean. Or just use some vanilla sugar. Write instructions that specify to add hot milk to the mixture in proportion.

It's plenty rich and tasty for me...

[prasantrin]

One of my students gave me a box of Demel Vienne Les Langues Dorees (with an accent aigu on the first e in "Dorees"). It seems to be plain milk chocolate (though it looks more like dark chocolate).

Is this the kind of thing I can use to make hot chocolate? I usually shave part of a bar of Valrhona, but I only have a bit left, and I'm dying for some hot chocolate. Can I just melt some of this stuff in milk? Actually, I don't have any milk, either, but I do have some heavy cream (which I'll probably water down a bit)!

[Chris Hennes]

One of my students gave me a box of Demel Vienne Les Langues Dorees (with an accent aigu on the first e in "Dorees").  It seems to be plain milk chocolate (though it looks more like dark chocolate). 

Is this the kind of thing I can use to make hot chocolate?  I usually shave part of a bar of Valrhona, but I only have a bit left, and I'm dying for some hot chocolate.  Can I just melt some of this stuff in milk?  Actually, I don't have any milk, either, but I do have some heavy cream (which I'll probably water down a bit)!

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I don't see why not: I make hot chocolate by making a simple ganache first, just the chocolate and cream and a pinch of salt, then once that is emulsified, slowly add milk, stirring vigorously. Made entirely with cream sounds a bit too rich for my tastes... I have a huge box of E. Guittard milk chocolate tablets, so this concoction has proven hard to resist recently.