This recipe is
courtesy of Cynthia
Detterick-Pineda of Andrews, TX.
Check
out more of Cynthia's
Southwest Recipes.
Chocolate
was a rage with the Spaniards when they first came to know it by way of the
Aztecs. For the Aztecs, it was a sacred food, reserved mainly for priests.
Chocolate
is hugely popular and hot chocolate is right in there among the ranks. It
may be more popular when the weather is cold, but among many in New Mexico,
hot chocolate is drank as the morning beverage, just as coffee or tea is
among other people.
I
personally love a bit of Mexican Chocolate all frothed up and hot on a cool
morning, so I wanted to share this recipe with you that came from my
husbands grandparents long ago.
Also learn about
the history of
Hot Chocolate
which includes more hot chocolate recipes.
Mexican Hot Chocolate
Recipe Type:
Beverage,
Chocolate,
Coffee,
Chile
Pepper
Cuisine:
Southwest,
Mexican
Yields: 3 to 4 serving
Prep time: 15 min
Ingredients:
4 (1-ounce) squares
of
Mexican Chocolate*
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup hot water
Small pinch of salt
1 teaspoon instant
coffee
2 cups of milk
1 egg (optional)
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 dried red
chile pepper (you
pick the size as the larger it is, the more heat it will infuse)
Ground cinnamon for sprinkling
*A good
Mexican Chocolate,
such as
Ibarra Mexican Chocolate,, will have cinnamon and cloves already in it. If you can't find
Mexican chocolate, use semi-sweet chocolate and add a heavy dash of ground
cinnamon and a pinch of ground cloves.
Preparation:
In a medium-sized saucepan
over medium-low heat, add the Mexican chocolate, honey, hot water, salt, coffee,
and chile pepper. Heat, stirring
constantly, until the mixture just begins to boil; reduce heat to low and let
simmer, stirring constantly, for approximately an additional 1 minute. Carefully
stir in the milk and let sit over low heat until the chocolate is too warm to
touch (you can see the steam rising from it).
In
a medium-size bowl, beat the egg until it is frothy, you can use an electric
mixer, a
Molinillo, or a fork for this. You just need to make it as frothy as
possible. Add the vanilla extract and beat in well.
The
Molinillo [moh-lee-NEE-oh] is the Mexican chocolate "whisk" or "stirrer." It is
made of "turned" wood and it is used to froth warm drinks such as hot chocolate,
Atole, and Champurrado.
Pour the hot chocolate
mixture over the frothed egg and beat it vigorously for about 15 seconds. You
want to beat it until you have about 1/2- to 1-inch of foam on top.
Pour into cups or mugs to
serve. Sprinkle some ground cinnamon over the hot chocolate once it is in the
mug.
Makes 3 to 4 servings.
