Beside the Stream

When people talk about hot chocolate, they are often referring to envelopes of powder that they mix with milk or water.  THAT IS NOT HOT CHOCOLATE.  That is something that was sold to you under false pretenses. 

I did a little research and found that real hot chocolate, as taught to me by a Vermont grandmother, is a lost recipe.  This hot chocolate is so good that if you have a child in elementary school, you’ll get a reputation.  Your child’s friend’s siblings will have heard about it.  Whole grades of young kids will be aware that you make the best hot chocolate in town.  This is absolute truth. 

Don’t let the ingredients scare you.   

There is milk, of course, and sugar, cocoa (which has recently been recast as a health food) and then my trusty carton of heavy whipping cream, the key ingredient.   Since your brain is 60% fat, you might think of the cream as brain food.  In hot chocolate, it is indispensable: it makes small children moan.  In the winter, this hot chocolate can be a staple snack for kids when they come in from playing.  When teenagers come back from skiing, hot chocolate rules.  If you need to gain 10 pounds, have it daily.  Otherwise, it’s worth skipping lunch for, because this is the hot chocolate your grandmother warned you about.  

In a small saucepan, make a pile of cocoa, and half that of sugar.  Don’t be stingy, maybe 4 TBS cocoa and 2 TBS sugar. 

Add about as much heavy cream as dry ingredents, and wisk them together.  This is your chance to get out all the lumps, so make it into a nice smooth sauce.  Taste it and maybe add more sugar.  Or not. 

Put the heat on high, wisk in the milk, and keep it sort of moving until it’s warm.

And you’re done.  The thing about this snack is that you get maximum credit for minimum effort.  One sip, and you understand what the whole hot chocolate thing is all about.  And it couldn’t have more calories than french fries… could it?