Hot Chocolate, Part 2
When making a basic cup of hot chocolate, it's nice to have some coffee flavor. The two best ways one can do this are:
1) Just pour in some coffee!
2) But that thins out the creaminess of the cocoa, so if one is really a workaholic, one can first bring the milk to a boil, dump a handful of coffee beans in it, remove from heat, cover the pot with plastic wrap, and let it cool for 20-30 minutes. Then strain out beans, reheat, and add cocoa. It'll have a definite coffee flavor.
On a similar note, you can do that with chestnuts, though I have not tried that yet.
What I've been doing lately is grating baking chocolate instead of using cocoa powder, which is obsessive, but I can't help believe it will make a better cup. Unfortunately, when I first tried it, the chocolate wouldn't melt. Now, I am going overboard and melting the chocolate first with the sugar in a bowl set in simmering water, and then using that as the base for the cocoa. That, so far as I have found, is how to make the best cup.
If you have an espresso machine, then steaming the milk works better.
More chocolate later...
Of the tiny handful of people who might read this, and of the fraction who read this far, I am curious what kind of chocolate people like. Dark? Milk? White? Not?
When making a basic cup of hot chocolate, it's nice to have some coffee flavor. The two best ways one can do this are:
1) Just pour in some coffee!
2) But that thins out the creaminess of the cocoa, so if one is really a workaholic, one can first bring the milk to a boil, dump a handful of coffee beans in it, remove from heat, cover the pot with plastic wrap, and let it cool for 20-30 minutes. Then strain out beans, reheat, and add cocoa. It'll have a definite coffee flavor.
On a similar note, you can do that with chestnuts, though I have not tried that yet.
What I've been doing lately is grating baking chocolate instead of using cocoa powder, which is obsessive, but I can't help believe it will make a better cup. Unfortunately, when I first tried it, the chocolate wouldn't melt. Now, I am going overboard and melting the chocolate first with the sugar in a bowl set in simmering water, and then using that as the base for the cocoa. That, so far as I have found, is how to make the best cup.
If you have an espresso machine, then steaming the milk works better.
More chocolate later...
Of the tiny handful of people who might read this, and of the fraction who read this far, I am curious what kind of chocolate people like. Dark? Milk? White? Not?
Re: pancakes -- they are indeed lighter than normal pancakes, but definitely not more savory. The vanilla flavor is quite strong (nice with the subtle flavor and texture of the ricotta) and they're very sweet. You could actually serve them as a dessert arrangement with the right fruit.