A little while ago, I had hot chocolate at the famed Angelina in Paris. It was the most expensive hot chocolate of my life at €7.20. Served in a pitcher with a small pot of whipped cream, the hot chocolate is what dreams are made of.
The hot chocolate at Angelina (L’Africain) is rich and smooth, and what I really appreciated: served at just the right temperature. If it were any thicker, it’d be melted chocolate. The marble topped tables, the Rococo interiors, the immaculately dressed waitresses, the flashlights on every other table (people recording one of their most important days in Paris) make the Angelina experience a memorable one. And while you’re at it, an order of Mont Blanc won’t hurt.
I can’t afford to drink hot chocolate at Angelina everyday, so I began making my version of rich hot chocolate every time the craving stuck (which is often, now that it’s getting cold and grey). It’s thick, dark and wonderfully creamy. Like all things sinful, it’s best to use the richest milk and cream. I even indulged with an inch of vanilla in the milk. Use chocolate that’s upwards of 55%. I didn’t add any sugar, but you might want to sweeten it a bit if you’re using 70% chocolate. The key here is to be liberal with all the ingredients, and then once ready, serve them in the prettiest cups you own.
French Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
200ml / 1 cup milk
100ml / 1/2 cup cream
1 inch vanilla, split and scraped (optional)
100g the best chocolate you can get 55% upwards (I’ve used 70% callebaut and 50 something Valrhona)
whipped cream to serve
Method
- Heat the milk and cream together in a pan with the vanilla. Once it comes to a simmer, turn off the heat and cover the pot for the vanilla to infuse into the milk. Let it sit for 20 minutes or so.
- Reheat the milk to bring it back to a simmer. Take it off the heat and whisk in the chocolate and stir until the chocolate has completely melted.
- Pour into cups and serve with whipped cream.
