C is for Cocoa

Well, we’ve had our first snow of the winter and spent the morning shoveling our driveway, clearing off the greenhouse, and chatting with our lovely neighbors. It’s barely noon and Eric and I already feel like we’ve had a full day of activity and after shedding our many layers of snowy clothing, we decided to chill by the fire and have a quiet afternoon inside. Which, of course, means hot cocoa!

Many moons ago, after I graduated from Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA, I got a job working for the French Ministry of Education in Guadeloupe, French West Indies as an English teacher. Karen, my college roomie, came with me for a week to explore the exotic delights of the tropics. Both Karen and I are chocolate fiends (part of what makes our friendship so strong) and when we read about this place called “Maison du Cacao” on the western side of the island, we obviously had to go! The place was nestled deep in the jungle amongst cacao, banana, and guava trees. We toured the property and then were sat in the dining room to taste our very first drinking chocolate. The woman who made it used only water, a little bit of cane sugar, a brick of cocoa, and an immersion blender. The chocolate was like nothing we’d ever tasted before. Vibrant and luscious, frothy and rich. It was served in an English tea cup and so intense that it almost made us drunk with giddiness.

No hot chocolate has ever replicated that one, but this recipe makes an honest effort and, while it’s much less rich than the original, it still takes me back to the rainy jungle where I truly experienced chocolate for the very first time.

Hot Cocoa Recipe
Yields 2 8 oz cups

In a small saucepan, add:
2 c (16 fl oz) of water
6 heaping Tbs cocoa powder
2 Tbs dark muscovado sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Bring to the boil, stirring often with a whisk. You do not want the bottom to burn and you do want the cocoa powder to lose its gritty character by coming to a boil.

In a medium bowl, pour in:
1/2 c heavy whipping cream
zest of 1/2 an orange
1 Tbs sugar
Whisk until you have a fluffy whipped cream that looks like a fluffy cloud
If you do not have the time or desire to make your own whipped cream, do not despair! Simply zest a bit of orange zest into your favorite already made version.
Optional: Just before the whipped cream comes together, it will look fluffy, but still too liquidy to hold shape. At this moment, add some bourbon, about 1-2 Tbs, and then continue whisking until you have reached said cloud-like texture

Serve your Hot Cocoa with a heaping dollop of the whipped cream.
Optional: Sometimes the day warrants a little something extra special and on such an occasion, I will add some bourbon to the cup of hot cocoa as well. Just about 1 oz seems to round out the chocolate and provide a heavenly nutty flavor

Enjoy!