Chocolat Chaud–Hot Chocolate the French Way

I’ve already mentioned this week how I fell in love with hot chocolate and how I drank vats of it while living in France. Chocolat chaud, as hot chocolate is called in France, is divine. It’s thick (but not too thick), creamy, rich, and flavorful. It touches upon the perfect balance so that you can drink an entire cup and not feel sick to your stomach. Absolutely délicieux. What we’re talking about here is the goddess of all chocolate drinks, IMHO, chocolate melted into cream or milk (or both!).
But what do you do if you aren’t living in France and can’t hop on over to the nearest cafe to get your fill of l’élixir divine? I recently stumbled across the solution on one of my favorite blogs, Orangette. Back in January (how did I miss this?) Molly of Orangette posted a recipe adapted from a hot chocolate recipe in Dorie Greenspan’s book Paris Sweets, which actually happens to be adapted from Ladurée’s recipe. You cannot ask for a better pedigree de chocolat. Dorie Greenspan (prolific author and blogger, special correspondent for Bon Appétit, etc.) walks on water, in my opinion, and definitely knows what she’s talking about, and Ladurée, well, where do I begin? Ladurée is an incredibly famous (for way too many delicious reasons) cake and pastry bakery/brand based in Paris, France. Okay, so now maybe you understand why I was SO excited to find this recipe, and believe me, it doesn’t disappoint! This recipe is easily adaptable to your particular tastes since the chocolate which you use can really change the flavors in your hot chocolate. So choose a chocolate that you LOVE. Plus, as Molly points out, it has only four ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry: milk, water, sugar, and chocolate so there is nothing standing in your way from having a cup of rich and creamy chocolatey goodness right now. If you close your eyes as you sip, you may just be able to feel the chill of autumn in the Paris air and the rough feel of the cobblestones under your feet as snippets of rapid-fire French float by your ears.

Hot Chocolate
From Molly at Orangette (Adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s Paris Sweets and Ladurée)
Makes 2 servings

1 ½ cups whole milk
2 ½ Tbsp. water
2 ½ Tbsp. granulated sugar
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, water, and sugar. Place over medium heat and whisk occasionally until the sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture just to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the chocolate. At this point, blend the mixture. If you have an immersion blender, you can do this directly in the saucepan; if not, you’ll need to transfer it to a traditional blender. Either way, blend for 1 minute (on high speed, if using a traditional blender – and take care(!), as hot liquids expand when blended). The finished mixture should be very smooth and frothy.

Serve immediately.

Note: Leftover hot chocolate (ha, ha, ha) can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 days. Reheat it gently over low heat, stirring occasionally, until hot. Blend for 1 minute; then serve immediately.

Coming Tomorrow: What do you dip in your hot chocolate? (One Good Loaf)