ot
cocoa is a deliciously warm and comforting drink that is
usually served with lots of little white marshmallows
floating on top. Unlike hot chocolate that combines milk
with semisweet chocolate, hot cocoa starts with good
unsweetened cocoa powder. You may not know it but cocoa
powder was invented back in the early 1800s by a Dutchman
named Coenraad Van Houten. He made a press that could
extract the cocoa butter from the chocolate liquor, leaving
a dry cake. This cake was further dried and processed to
become unsweetened cocoa powder. Van Houten then went on to
discover that if the unsweetened cocoa powder was treated
with an alkaline solution it produced a cocoa powder that
was darker in color and softer in flavor than what he began
with. It became known as 'Dutch-processed' cocoa powder. The
reason I tell this story is Dutch-processed cocoa powder is
what I use to make my hot cocoa.
While you could use regular
unsweetened cocoa powder I find the flavor of
Dutch-processed makes for a mild yet flavorful drink.
Droste is the brand I use and you can sometimes find it in
grocery stores, or else at specialty food stores or on line.
A good mug of hot cocoa begins
by combining cocoa powder, sugar, and enough milk or cream
to make a smooth paste. Hot milk (skim, 2%, or whole) is
then poured in and stirred until it is thoroughly blended.
Sometimes I like to place the hot cocoa in a blender (or you
can use an immersion blender) which will make it nice and
foamy. Finish your hot cocoa without a large handful of
marshmallows or else a dollop of whipped cream. Delicious.
Place the milk in a small saucepan over medium
heat until it is nice and hot.
Meanwhile in your mug or cup, make a paste with
the cocoa powder, sugar, and cream. Pour the hot milk into the cocoa paste and
stir until combined and smooth. You can place the hot cocoa in your blender
(or use an immersion blender) to make it nice and foamy.
Garnish with marshmallows or softly whipped cream.
Makes 1 - 8 ounce (240 ml) serving.
Hot Cocoa Recipe:
3/4 cup (180 ml) milk
(skim, 2%, or whole)
1 tablespoon
Dutch-processed cocoa powder (I use Droste of Valrhona)
1 tablespoon granulated
white sugar
2 tablespoons of cream or
milk
For Garnish:
Marshmallows or softly
whipped cream
SourcesBigelow, Fran. 'Pure Chocolate'.
New York: Broadway Books.: 2004.Bloom, Carole, 'All About Chocolate'.
New York: MacMillan, Inc.: 1998.
Rinzler, Carol Ann.
'The Book of
Chocolate'. New York: St. Martin's Press,
1977.
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