When was the last time you were attacked by the chocolate monster? I was sabotaged just last night. There I was, lounging on my couch and vegging out to old episodes of Mythbusters (of all things!) on NetFlix when the craving struck. I wanted chocolate. In a very extreme way. This was a craving that would brook no opposition. Something had to be done.
I’ve made a couple of trips to The City Bakery this winter to indulge in their superb hot chocolate. This stuff is really out of this world: thick, rich, velvety, complex, barely sweet, with enormous homemade marshmallows. This was exactly the chocolate my chocolate monster had in mind, and if City Bakery weren’t 45 minutes from my apartment, I might have gone out to find it. But, clad as I was in my PJs, that didn’t seem an option.
But I did have trusty old Google. And soon it led me to a very promising recipe by Nigella Lawson on foodnetwork.com. The stray piece of Scharffen Berger 62% dark baking chocolate hiding out in my cabinet sprang to mind, as did the bottle of Meyer’s Rum left over from some spiked apple cider. I had a feeling this would be good.
Believe me, the recipe did not disappoint. I used unsweetened soy milk because milk and I aren’t best friends, but it hardly mattered, because this hot chocolate recipe is all about the chocolate. I was glad to have some quality dark chocolate hanging around, because the chocolate is so prominent in the drink. I’m not sure I would have been as pleased if I had settled for anything less. The resulting beverage was velvety and almost viscous. It coated my tongue, allowing me to savor the wonderful fruity notes hiding in the chocolate. The amount of rum was perfect: It tempered the richness of the chocolate just enough without interfering with the smooth texture of the drink.
I sipped the chocolate slowly, and couldn’t help but smile and sigh. This is what hot chocolate is supposed to be: a decadent escape from the everyday. I have no doubt that every dopamine receptor in my tired little brain was firing on all cylinders by the time I reached the bottom of the cup. Bliss. Then, sated, I trundled off to bed. The chocolate monster was foiled again.
Clacked by Molly B.
on Feb 20, 2009 @ 10:00 EST5EDT
