Comfort food par excellence, it is an ideal drink not only on cold winter afternoons, but at any time you want to take care of yourself. This is why it must be done in a workmanlike manner
Irrepressible desire, sin of gluttony, temptation: the chocolate is all this and much more. And now, with the arrival of winter, let yourself be conquered by one steaming cup of hot cocoa it's almost an obligation. You know that it was Hernan Cortès who first tasted a drink similar to a chocolate in 1519, when, arriving on the coast of Mexico, he was welcomed by the Aztecs that they used to beat cocoa beans, water and spices to prepare a drink with highly energetic powers? And in Italy it is said that the first hot chocolate was drunk in Florence in the 1600s, thanks to Francesco d'Antonio Carletti, a traveler who introduced it as a habit, at the end of a trip to the New World.
The essential ingredients of chocolate
Preparing a perfect cup of chocolate requires a few but important steps. First of all, the choice of milk, which must be fresh and whole, for a fuller taste. Then the cocoa: the sweet one is forbidden, only the bitter one must be used. Also pay attention to sugar, which must not overpower the cocoa flavor. There is also a school of thought that wants, in addition to cocoa, the dark chocolate, to give the chocolate a more intense flavor. Dissolve it in a part of warm milk and then add the other ingredients mixed with the remaining milk and cook.
Author's recipe: the chocolate from Pasticceria De Luca in Milan
Here is the recipe for a cup of chocolate directly from Pasticceria De Luca in Milan.
Ingredients
250 ml fresh milk, 65 g bitter cocoa, 15 g corn starch (or potato starch), 25 g icing sugar, 2 vanilla pods (optional).
Method
Sift into different bowls cocoa, corn starch and icing sugar. Combined with cocoa i vanilla pods and mix. Put everything in a food bag and mix well. Put all the powder in a saucepan, pour slowly part of the milk, stirring well with a whisk to prevent lumps from forming. Once the cocoa has dissolved well in the milk, add the remaining one and turn on the fire. Keep mixing to avoid lumps and when the mixture has reached the desired consistency turn off. Pour the steaming chocolate into the cup and enjoy it straight or with the addition of whipped cream.
Variation with dark chocolate
If you prefer a stronger flavor, you can replace 45 g of cocoa with some dark chocolate made in flakes. Dissolve it in a third of hot milk, mix well with a whisk and when it is completely melted, add the other ingredients and the other milk as explained above and finish.
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