By Daniel Neman / St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The best part about winter is hot chocolate. I think we can all agree on that.
Think of it: You’re out in the snow. Your feet are wet. Your toes ache. Your nose is running. You can’t feel your fingers. You have been shivering so long you don’t remember what it is like to not shiver.
And then you come into the house and someone hands you a steaming cup of hot chocolate. And suddenly you are suffused with happiness and warmth.
It doesn’t even have to be good hot chocolate. You have much the same reaction even if the hot chocolate came in powdered form out of one of those paper envelopes.
So think of how much better it would be to have hot chocolate that is actually homemade. And not only homemade, but the best, silkiest, most luxurious hot chocolate anyone has ever made.
I happen to have the recipe for the best ever hot chocolate.
And what if that cold temperature should suddenly become warm? I turned the hot chocolate into an ice cream, too.
The hot chocolate ice cream is probably the chocolatiest ice cream you’ve ever had.
I started with a mug of mind-blowingly good Parisian hot chocolate. The French are widely thought to have the best food in the world, so it makes sense that they would also make the best hot chocolate.
Their secret is a step I never would have even considered: They caramelize the sugar. That is, they slowly melt the sugar until it turns a rich amber in color and turning it into caramel. They add the milk to that — milk, note, not cream — which makes a hot caramel milk.
Finally, they stir in heaps of finely chopped bittersweet chocolate, the finest quality they can find and afford.
The taste, and especially the texture, is that of a smooth, velvety chocolate. The bittersweet chocolate has just enough edge to it to keep it from becoming cloying, and this balance is further heightened by serving the drink with Chantilly whipped cream, sweetened whipped cream with more than a hint of vanilla.
I made my own Chantilly whipped cream, which goes with this chocolate like Laurel goes with Hardy. I did it right, too, using the seeds from half of a vanilla bean. But vanilla beans are expensive, especially now, because Madagascar is still trying to recover from a couple of catastrophic storms that devastated the crop.
If you want to use vanilla extract instead of the vanilla bean, I won’t complain. You could even use whipped cream that comes out of a can, though it would lack that soothing vanilla presence.
Just don’t serve Parisian hot chocolate with marshmallows. It would ruin the effect; this hot chocolate needs whipped cream like Abbott needs Costello.
Parisian hot chocolate
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1½ cups milk, any kind
4 ounces best-quality bittersweet chocolate (60% to 70% cacao), finely chopped
Chantilly whipped cream, for serving (recipe below)
In a small saucepan, heat the sugar over medium heat until it melts and turns amber, without stirring; simply tilt the pan from time to time to encourage even caramelization. This should take a few minutes. Remove from the heat to cool for 1 minute.
Carefully pour in the milk, return to medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring well to dissolve (it may take the crystallized sugar a minute or two to dissolve). Reduce the heat to medium low. Whisk in the chocolate and stir until melted. Bring to a low simmer and cook, stirring continually without allowing the mixture to boil, until the hot chocolate is thickened, 5 to 8 minutes longer. (You can make this in advance; cool and gently reheat before serving).
Pour into cups and let rest 5 minutes. Serve with Chantilly whipped cream, either in a bowl on the side or piped onto the surface of the hot chocolate at the last minute using a piping bag fitted with a star tip.
Makes 3 servings. Nutrition per serving (using whole milk): 448 calories; 28 g fat; 17 g saturated fat; 45 mg cholesterol; 7 g protein; 40 g carbohydrate; 35 g sugar; 3 g fiber; 64 mg sodium; 180 mg calcium
— Recipe from “Tasting Paris” by Clotilde Dusoulier
Chantilly whipped cream
⅔ cup whipping cream, chilled
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
½ vanilla bean or 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
If possible, chill a medium bowl and the whisk attachment of an electric mixer (or a large bowl and a large whisk) in the refrigerator 2 hours before you begin.
In the chilled bowl, combine the whipping cream and powdered sugar. Slice the half vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the bowl, or add the vanilla extract.
If using an electric mixer, start mixing the cream on medium-low speed, then increase the speed slightly every 30 seconds or so to reach medium-high speed. If using a whisk, whisk the mixture vigorously. The cream is ready when the whisk leaves clear traces and the cream forms beautiful, firm peaks when you lift up the whisk, 4 to 5 minutes total.
Transfer to a container with a tight-fitting lid or a piping bag fitted with a plain or star tip, and chill for 2 hours or overnight before using.
Makes 3 servings (makes about 1½ cups). Nutrition per serving: 123 calories; 10 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 30 milligrams cholesterol; 1 gram protein; 6 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams sugar; no fiber; 7 milligrams sodium; 18 milligrams calcium.
— Adapted from “Tasting Paris” by Clotilde Dusoulier
Hot chocolate ice cream
1⁄2 cup granulated sugar, divided
2 cups whole milk
1 cup whipping cream
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
In a medium saucepan, heat 1⁄4 cup of the sugar over medium heat until it melts and turns amber, without stirring; simply tilt the pan from time to time to encourage even caramelization. This should take a few minutes. Remove from the heat to cool for 1 minute.
Carefully stir in the milk and cream, return to medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring well to dissolve (it may take a minute or two for the crystallized sugar to dissolve). Reduce the heat to medium low. Whisk in the chocolate, the remaining 1⁄4 cup sugar and the salt, and stir until the chocolate has melted. Bring to a low simmer and cook, stirring continually without allowing the mixture to boil, until the hot chocolate is thickened, 5 to 8 minutes.
Allow to cool to room temperature. You can speed up this process by filling a large bowl halfway with ice and water, pouring the hot chocolate into a medium bowl and placing that bowl in the larger bowl; stirring the chocolate will further quicken the cooling process.
Freeze according to ice cream manufacturer’s instructions.
Makes 4 servings (makes about 1 quart). Nutrition per serving: 657 calories; 42 grams fat; 26 grams saturated fat; 79 milligrams cholesterol; 10 grams protein; 69 grams carbohydrates; 65 grams sugar; 4 grams fiber; 214 milligrams sodium; 178 milligrams calcium.
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