Chocolat Chaud

Kashino teaches Ichigo that she shouldn't waste any chocolate and one way to do that is to make chocolate chaud with your leftover chocolate for a tasty drink that will pick you up.  Kashino's uncle, the chocolatier, taught him and now we're learning how to make it together!

What is it?

Chocolat chaud is also known as hot chocolate or hot cocoa and has three main components - chocolate, liquid and sugar.  The chocolate can be shaved, melted buds or cocoa powder and the liquid is usually water or milk.  Drinking chocolate is similar but made of melted chocolate shavings or paste.  It was first believed to be a drink of the native Mayan peoples and the an important drink in Aztec culture until it was discovered by Europeans conquering Mexico and then spread around the world.  Modern hot chocolate is usually sweet but since sugar hadn't yet come to to the Americas, it was originally spicy and bitter.  Some say that there are great health benefits to chocolate but others will say that there are great health risks related to consuming large amounts of it due to the high fat and sugar content.  Click here to see pictures of chocolat chaud.

Where can I try it?

Chocolat chaud is something that you can find around the world and in most coffee shops today.  While it shouldn't be hard to find, there are many varieties and styles and one should try multiple just to see these differences.  Some people like to distinguish that cot cocoa is made from powder while hot chocolate is made from bar chocolate already containing cocoa, sugar and cocoa butter.  In Europe, they often add a thickening agent such as corn starch such as the Italian cioccolata densa or occasionally the Spanish may prepare it with the viscosity of warm chocolate pudding.  In some Belgium cafes, ordering a chocolat chaud would get you a cup of steamed white milk and a small bowl of bittersweet chocolate chips to dissolve in to the milk!

These scans are by Cookie Dough.

How do I make it? (according to the official cookbook)

Coming soon... as soon as cookie dough releases the translation!  ;)

How do I make it better? (recipe: David Lebovitz)

Ingredients:
2 cups whole milk
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate finely chopped (at least 70%cacao)

Directions:
1.  Heat the milk in a small sauce pan.
2.  Slowly stir in the chocolate and until melted with a whisk, keep stirring.
3.  Add brown sugar to taste and boil down further for a thicker drink.
4.  Pour in to your favorite cups for four "parisian-sized" servings.

Hints and tips from the show:

- Use left over chocolate from other recipies to keep from wasting any chocolate.

Hints and tips from the real world:

- Chocolate is hard to clean up from chopping boards because it melts so easily, use a smooth cutting surface to aid in cleaning.
- It may take some practice to get used to cutting a chocolate bar, doing it on a lower surface helps your arms from getting tired.

Ideas for variations:

- You can experiment with the kind of chocolate you use and different amounts/kinds of sugars/sweeteners.
- Add accents such as whipped cream and cinnamon sticks to vary both the presentation and the flavor!
- Try making Mexican Hot Chocolate for a cinnamon taste using Abuelita's or Ibarra's chocolate!
- Try the cold drink variation that is famous all around the US!  Frrozen Hot Chocolate!

References:

http://ribon.shueisha.co.jp/recette (Ad for Official Cookbook)
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2005/11/parisian-hot-ch-1/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_chocolate
http://www.tazadechocolate.blogspot.com/2008/02/nostalgia-can-sometimes-play-tricks-on.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abuelita
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibarra_(chocolate)

CLICK HERE TO SEE MY ATTEMPT AT MAKING CHOCOLAT CHAUD!