Ghirardelli hot chocolate

[mindstalk]

So, not long ago I talked about the hot chocolates I've had in this town, from fancy stuff at the bookstores to stuff I walked away from in Soma. I speculated there was a powder vs. syrup thing going on. Recent evidence suggests just a quality difference. I have a canister of Ghirardelli powder which I don't use very often, but have twice recently, and both times have been quite good. The cup just now had that "liquid chocolate" taste and feel to it. More specifically:

Tonight's cup: I used the label proportions, one cup of milk to 3 tbsps of powder. Result was pretty rich, though there were also little clumps of undissolved powder.

A few nights ago: I accidentally used more milk than recommended, maybe 1.6 cups. Result was still good, and no clumps. I also made that neo-Aztec style, as I'd told chefkatsuya, with cinnamon and a bit of cayenne. I'm not sure what to say about that, though I could feel a burn as I approached the bottom of the cup.

Milk both times was organic, which might not matter, and whole, which probably does.

Comments

[saganhawk.livejournal.com]

I have always found Ghirardelli to be superior to anything else available in grocery stores.

[mindstalk.livejournal.com]

That doesn't surprise me, since I figure the grocery store competition is Nestle or Swiss Miss. Godiva or Joseph Schmidt might be another matter.

[mindstalk.livejournal.com]

Wikipedia has various pages on chocolate, and Dutch-process vs. natural (Dutch is apparently deeper, but destroys the flavonols). It also says European hot chocolate is often made directly from melted chocolate. Actually chocolate used to mean 'hot chocolate', until candy bars became popular. Hot cocoa and hot chocolate are sometimes distinguished based on cocoa powder vs. solid chocolate base.

[fanw.livejournal.com]

I'm always surprised at how much good hot cholate is a matter of quantity. Put enough good chocolate in your milk and it'll taste yummy!

As for Aztec style, if you're willing to go a little further I can give you suggestions for a recipe where you don't get cayenne dregs. Basically, take dried (or fresh) chili peppers and simmer them in milk. Filter out the pepper bits. You'll be left with chili-infused milk. Use this to make your hot chocolate and it will be smoothly spicy through and through. Usually you just need one chili so don't over do it, though you can always dilute with more milk if necessary. Mmmm!

[mindstalk.livejournal.com]

Interesting! I have yet to ever buy a chili pepper, actually.

Chocolate milk today from the cafeteria tasted rather bland after last night.

[fergusop.livejournal.com]

I usually use a mixture of cocoa powder, sugar, salt, and cinamon in a couple tablespoons of boiling water and then add vanilla extract and 2% milk and heat until just under boiling so it doesn't scald. Then I add half-and-half to cool it and make it a little less rich. Never been a huge fan of the store-bought powders.