For several years, ever since Katrina’s MS sidelined her from most kitchen duties, I’ve been the chief cook and bottle-washer. I’m always looking for great recipes, and I’ve just found one for the world’s best hot chocolate. Tonight I even served it to a guest as a dessert. The recipe came from the blog of a Paris chef named David Lebovitz, and it’s based on a recipe given to him by Michael Lewis of the Wittamer Chocolate Shop in Brussels, where David once worked.
It’s very rich, but simple to make. Take a high quality bar of milk chocolate (30-40 percent chocolate) and 8 ounces of bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (that’s a whole box), and chop it up. I used the food processor.
Heat a quart of milk on the stove and slowly stir the chocolate into the milk until it melts. Add a pinch of salt (which is very important to bringing out the flavor) and about a half-teaspoon of cinnamon. Use a hand-blender or whisk to froth it up some.
Serve very warm and, if you like, top each steaming cup with whipped cream. It makes for a cup of true Belgium hot chocolate, just as you’d have in the finest shop in Brussels.
Enjoy!