HOT CHOCOLATE

Prep Time: 5 mins Cooking Time: 0 Serves: 4

Cacao has been consumed as a drink for thousands of years in Central America. The Aztecs would drink it with chilli, either hot or cold. The Europeans modiﬁed this to create something they considered more palatable. One signiﬁcant change was the addition of sugar. They also liked to add various spices from the East, such as cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, and crushed rose petals or jasmine ﬂowers were sometimes stirred in as ﬂavourings. Milk was a later addition. Experiment to suit your taste and mood.

Ingredients

90g 100% cacao. Suggestion, 100% Chulucanas cacao. But experiment to find your favourite!

450ml water

2 tablespoons of raw cane sugar

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Method

Place the cacao and water and sugar in a saucepan.

Bring to the boil, stirring frequently, then lower the heat immediately and simmer gently for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture thickens a little.

Remove from the heat and whisk well with an electric beater to create a light foam.

Serve hot.

Variations

Aztec hot chocolate: add 1 teaspoon of chilli powder while heating

Cinnamon hot chocolate: add a cinnamon stick while heating

Vanilla hot chocolate: add a vanilla pod while heating

Children’s hot chocolate: heat 50g of milk of the Gods with 250 ml of milk. Whisk and top with whipped cream

Rum Chocolate: add 6 tablespoons of rum (to your taste) at the end of the heating; top with whipped cream