The Only Way to Make Hot Cocoa

In the middle of winter, few things sound more appealing than sipping a nice warm mug of hot chocolate. Here's one expert's way to make the classic beverage.

The Cook

John Kraus, chef de cuisine and chef instructor at the French Pastry School at City Colleges of Chicago, has hopped from kitchens in London and Surrey, England, to Nashville, Tenn., and Chicago during his 18-year career. While the locales changed, one constant was his love of pastry, and his passion has not gone unnoticed by his peers. Pastry Art & Design magazine named him one of the U.S.'s top 10 pastry chefs in both 2005 and 2006. John is no slouch when it comes to chocolate, either: He took top honors in the Food Network's(SSP Quote - Cramer on SSP - Stock Picks) 2004 Chocolate Challenge.

The Recipe

On cold winter mornings, John likes to start his day with a mug of steaming hot cocoa, often mixing it with coffee for an added caffeine kick. For a different taste, consider infusing the milk with tea, spices or even lemon zest (see Variations, below). The addition of bourbon or Grand Marnier turns this recipe into a great after-dinner treat for the grown-ups.

	Hot Chocolate
	Credit: Paul Strabbing

Using high-quality chocolate is key to attaining a silky, rich texture, or "mouth feel," Kraus says. His chocolate of choice is the Cacao Barry brand's dark couverture (a professional-grade chocolate) with 64% cocoa content. For a sweeter drink, use chocolate with a lower cocoa-content percentage.

Details
Prep time: 5 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes, plus 1 hour infusing time
Makes 8 servings

Ingredients
8 cups whole milk
1 ½ vanilla beans
1 ½ cups whipping cream
Pinch of sea salt or regular salt
16 ounces good-quality dark chocolate, finely chopped

Directions
1. In a large saucepan, heat the milk until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Do not allow milk to boil. Remove from heat.
2. Split the vanilla beans lengthwise, scrape the seeds, and add the beans and seeds to the milk. Allow milk to cool for a few minutes and then cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
3. In another large saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. Add pinch of salt and remove from the heat. Add the chopped chocolate and stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
4. Remove vanilla beans from milk and add the milk to the chocolate cream mixture. Bring to a simmer. Pour into mugs and serve. Refrigerate any leftover cocoa (for up to 4 days); gently reheat before serving.

Variations

Earl Grey Cocoa. Steep 3 Earl Grey tea bags in heated milk for up to 10 minutes. (Omit the vanilla beans and seeds, if desired.) Cover and refrigerate milk for 1 hour. Proceed with rest of recipe.

Spiced Cocoa. Add cinnamon, nutmeg or other whole spices to the heated milk. (Omit the vanilla beans and seeds, if desired.) Allow milk to cool for a few minutes and then cover and refrigerate for 1 hour; strain before proceeding with the rest of the recipe.

Mocha. Add 4 tablespoons of ground coffee to the heated milk. Allow milk to cool for a few minutes and then cover and refrigerate for 1 hour; strain before proceeding with rest of recipe. Or, combine freshly brewed coffee with hot cocoa in desired proportion.

Lemon-Scented Cocoa. Add zest of one lemon (or orange) to the heated milk. Allow milk to cool for a few minutes and then cover and refrigerate for 1 hour; strain before proceeding with rest of recipe.

Spiked Cocoa. Combine 8 ounces (or to taste) bourbon or Grand Marnier with the hot cocoa before serving.