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CHOW: Recipes: Hot Cocoa

Hot Cocoa Recipe

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Hot Cocoa
Difficulty: Easy | Total Time: 10 mins | Makes: 1 drink

At its best, hot cocoa is sublime. At its worst, it’s chalky, watery, and too sweet. This version, provided by François Payard, of François Payard Bakery in New York, is definitely in the former category: so creamy, rich, and chocolaty that it’s a suitable stand-in for dessert.

INGREDIENTS
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (such as Weiss)
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • Granulated sugar, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Bring chocolate powder, fresh cream, and milk to a boil; stir; and pour in a cup. Add sugar if desired.

Note: For a lighter version, use 1/3 cup fresh cream and 2/3 cup skim milk.

    Write a review | 4 Reviews
POST A COMMENT |4 Comments

COMMENT

  • Yes chili pepper is an authentic version of Hot Chocolate. Non Cognomina.... if you want to get technical Hot Chocolate is made from Green Cacao beans as it was in Pre-Hispanic Mexico where it was invented.

    The French version is just plagiurized.


    Back to authentic versions... the Xocolatl documented by the Spanish colonizers was made of freshly roasted & ground cacao beans & vanilla pods...+READ

    Yes chili pepper is an authentic version of Hot Chocolate. Non Cognomina.... if you want to get technical Hot Chocolate is made from Green Cacao beans as it was in Pre-Hispanic Mexico where it was invented.

    The French version is just plagiurized.


    Back to authentic versions... the Xocolatl documented by the Spanish colonizers was made of freshly roasted & ground cacao beans & vanilla pods with just a tiny amount of honey. That is the way it was drunk by the Aztec nobility. Other ethnicities like the Mayans & Zapotecs had different variations including Chile Peppers & All Spice.

    Of course no REAL chocolate has cream & sugar in it. That is just the frilly version that came later.-COLLAPSE

  • i like a little cinnamon in mine......

    i once had an "authentic mexican" version that had chocolate, hot water and chili pepper and used a frother - i forget what it was called. my question is - is this really an "authentic" traditional thing? the chili pepper in it was actually pretty good.....

  • Good point, Non Cognomina. We actually discuss this in depth in this article: http://www.chow.com/stories/10040 And I have to agree that La Maison du Chocolat makes a great hot chocolate.

  • It should be noted that this recipe is for Hot Cocoa, not Hot Chocolate. Hot Cocoa is made with cocoa powder. Hot Chocolate is made with couverture, and sometimes fortified with cocoa powder. I use as an example the Hot Chocolate at La Maison du Chocolat, two shops in Manhattan. One is only a few blocks from Payard on the UES.