The Ultimate hot chocolate, Epic Hot Chocolate, The perfect hot chocolate..the many title links to homemade hot chocolate recipe suggests, many people take their hot chocolate seriously and love it.
I’ve had to change my end of year plans due to personal reasons. So instead of sipped on a glass of Prosecco on a the balcony over looking the Sydney Harbour Bridge, wearing a beautiful strapless Summer evening dress, I’m in The Netherlands with my love, sipping on hot chocolate in long pants and trying to keep warm.
Growing up in Australia, my mum would always turn to a box of Cadbury Bournville Cocoa Powder when making my brother and I a hot chocolate. Mum was very wholesome and would stir a tablespoon of cocoa powder into a cup of warmed almond milk. However, like many things, over time the quality of the product has fallen victim to economics and the quality level of Cadbury Bournville Cocoa, and it’s just not the same anymore. That’s just my opinion.
As I am still a fan of the purest method of making hot chocolate, I decided to dig deeper into the process of this cocoa powder I found that it is produced using the ‘dutching’ method meaning, an alkali agent is used to make it less acidic and milder. For the health conscious, this is not so inspiring as this reduces the antioxidant power of cocoa.
Strolling around the market aisle of The Netherlands, I found the nostalgic equivalent to Australia’s Cadbury Bournvile Cocoa Powder, known as Blooker Cacao. It’s dark, strong, extremly rich in flavour and pure – no sugar added.
Notice the difference between to two..cocoa and Cacao. Click this link to read more about it http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-food/cacao-vs-cocoa-what-you-need-to-know/
You can try Jamie’s Epic Hot Chocolate , Martha Stewarts homemade hot chocolate or my favourite, Nigella’s Grown Up Hot Chocolate. Admittedly, I take out the brown sugar and love the addition of a little extra rum. Add a pinch of dried chilli powder/flakes if you can handle the heat. I can’t wait to share a cup of this liquid gold with mum when I return home.
Nigella’s Grown Up Hot Chocolate
ingredients:
2 cups milk
3 1/2 ounces best-quality dark chocolate, bittersweet or semisweet, as preferred
1 cinnamon stick
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons dark rum, or to taste
Put the milk into a saucepan and break the chocolate into pieces and add to the milk along with a cinnamon stick, honey, and sugar and heat gently until the chocolate is melted.
Add the vanilla and mix with a small hand whisk and still whisking, add a spoonful of the rum first and taste to see if you want more. Add more sugar if you want this sweeter, too. Take out the cinnamon stick and pour into 2 cappuccino or caffe latte cups.
Recipe courtesy of Nigella Lawson
(Copyright 2004, Feast, Hyperion, All Rights Reserved)
To see the Domestic Goddess in all her glory, check out this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPCf44kFK3s
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