Since Cindy and I sold the restaurant back in November, we have been trying to do more active things with our time i.e. long walks on the beach with the dogs, snow shoeing the back woods with the dogs, and skiing (without the dogs) as well as some traveling (we just got back from 12 days in France - without the dogs).The skiing this year has been absolutely fantastic with over 14 feet of natural snowfall already this season, and being able to go during the week, we have found that we own the mountain most of the time. This past Monday we decided to head to Sunday River for a "day-on-the-slopes" and got to the mountain right around 11:00am. It was a bright, clear and relatively mild day for the beginning of March, we found a parking space right at the front door of Spruce Peak Lodge and we were on the slopes by 11:20am.
Our first 4 or 5 runs were all great, but then it started to rain ever so slightly and being just above 32 degrees the few drops that fell actually froze to our gear instantly. No big deal we thought and so we continued to make our way over to Jordan Bowl. By the time we were about 3/4's of the way over, the rain began really picking up and we found ourselves now being totally encased in a layer of solid ice on our jackets, pants and most importantly goggles. It got to the point that you could hardly see and removing the goggles and trying to ski was worse as the freezing rain pelted your eyes...we were essentially skiing blind at this point.
We decided to make our way down, back to Spruce Peak Lodge and stop for lunch and see if the rain would let-up. After about 20 minutes we were finally back at the lodge, literally entombed in ice by this time. The faces of the people in the lodge were that of total disbelief as we entered and made our way to one of the tables, all the way our clothes crackling as we walked.
I decided that a couple of cups of nice hot chocolate is "just-what-the doctor" ordered and so I made my way over to the hot chocolate machine and began to dispense the two cups. As I stood there watching this brownish, watery substance flow from within the machine, I thought to myself "how could something as wonderful as hot chocolate diminish so far as to now be some synthetic blend of artificial ingredients simply blended within boiling water?"
I found myself standing in front of this machine recalling the absolute "best cup of hot chocolate" that I ever had the privilege of having and where it was that I got that recipe from so many years ago.
When I was a young boy I grew up in Westport, Connecticut and I remember when I was no more then 12 or 13 experiencing my first taste of hot chocolate nirvana sitting in the kitchen in one of my mother's friends homes. Rich, creamy and thick topped with fresh made whipped cream, it was more like a bowl of Heavenly Hash ice cream, only hot than it was a cup of hot chocolate. It was something that you savored and enjoyed each and every sip.
After many, many cries of desperation, my mother finally got the recipe from her friend and it went into her small yellow recipe box full of index cards. Funny to think of it now but so many of those recipes never came out of the box once they made their way in. This recipe though had been saved and savored by yours truly and now I am going to share it with all of you to enjoy as much as I have throughout my years of cold days and long winters. I have brought the recipe up-to-date with ingredients that are readily available at any supermarket. A word of caution though, this recipe could become habit forming and because it is so rich and creamy it is not the type of beverage that you simply consume but rather you experience.
I am savouring a cup as I right this and it makes the task and the day so much more pleasant...enjoy!
MY FAVORITE HOT CHOCOLATE RECIPE
(Makes 4 memorable mugs of chocolate nirvana)
2 1/4 cups - Whole Milk
1/4 cup - Spring Water
1/4 cup - Granulated Sugar
3 1/2 ounces - Intense Dark Chocolate Candy Bar (Lindt 70% or Ghirardelli 72%), finely chopped
1/4 cup - Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
As needed - Fresh Whipped Cream (Not the imitation stuff)
As needed - Homemade or high quality marshmallows (Optional)
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together the milk, water and sugar. Allow mixture to come to just a boil and then add the chopped chocolate and cocoa powder, stirring constantly. Bring to a second boil while whisking but do not scald the milk.
Reduce heat to a simmer and allow the mixture to thicken slightly, about 3 -4 minutes. Remove from heat and using a "stick" blender, blend until thick and frothy, about 3-4 minutes.
Pour into preheated ceramic mugs (fill with hot tap water to preheat, then discard water).
If using, add a few of the marshmallows to bottom of each cup, ladle in about 6 ounces of hot chocolate and then top with a dollop of fresh made whipped cream.
Enjoy!!!
Oh, by the way, as we left Sunday River to head back home, we drove into Bethel, Maine and took in the world's tallest Snow Woman - Olympia...here's a picture!
If you find yourself anywhere near Bethel, Maine in the next few weeks, make sure to stop and check Olympia out...she really is impressive - she stands over 120 feet tall with 30 foot pine trees as arms, her buttons are huge truck tires and her eyelashes are skis. If you look close, in the picture there are people standing at her base...for a sense of size.
Congratulations Bethel for setting a new world record.
Let me know what you think of this recipe.
Chef John
http://www.cookwithjohn.com/
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