Recipe 1-San Gines

Last night I made a triple batch of hot chocolate for a dinner party in Bolinas. The chocolate was served with rum, freshly whipped cream and Mexican Wedding Cookies. Mmmm mmm good! Two of the dinner guests originally declined the offer of hot chocolate--until they heard the oohs and aahs from fellow diners and saw that the cups held something significantly different from the expected anemic cocoa powder. A few tense moments followed when folks thought they would have to share their chocolate, but I was able to produce two more cups and diffuse the situation.

I use the San Gines recipe, modified (see my notes below).

Chocolate a la Taza
Chocolateria San Gines, Madrid, Spain
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In a non-reactive saucepan, combine the milk and cream and heat over medium-low heat until very hot but not boiling. Gradually add the chocolate to the hot liquid, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. In small cup, dissolve the cornstarch in a few tablespoons of water. Add the dissolved cornstarch to the chocolate mixture and stir constantly until it is almost as thick as a pudding. Serve immediately in warmed cups.

Makes demitasse servings.

Tina's Notes:

I prefer to use El Rey Gran Saman 70% chocolate. I find the chocolate melts beautifully, thickens nicely without cornstarch and has good flavor. But it's fun to experiment with other varieties and percentages of chocolate (which I will do and report on in future blogs). Sometimes Whole Foods sells the El Rey in discs, which saves the step of having to chop the chocolate. Sometimes I add different flavored chocolates, too, such as mint or orange. For Valentine's Day this year, I added some homemade Rosemary Caramel Sauce (another incredibly yummy recipe!).

You'll note the San Gines recipe calls for vanilla in the ingredients, but doesn't say where to add it. A typo in the book, I imagine. The best time to stir in the vanilla is after you've removed the chocolate from the heat.

Because salt enhances flavors, some people--yours truly included--like to add a pinch to their chocolate. I use vanilla salt, and usually do not add vanilla at the end.

I also have not been adding the cornstarch, since the El Rey thickens up enough for my tastes--not pudding-like, but rich enough to still consume with a spoon. When I do choose to add a thickener, I prefer using Arrowroot, since it doesn't impart an after-flavor, like cornstarch does. Most importantly, if you let the chocolate rest awhile before reheating and consuming it, the texture will become even more velvety and thick.

Enjoy!