With another holiday shopping event this Friday, a lot of travel with my normal 9 to 5 job, and the holidays just around the corner, I thought I would get inspired vs. just being tired of the chaos.
So, I hopped into the kitchen to mix up a new hot chocolate recipe with a pint of egg nog I purchased from the grocery store. With the egg nog as my muse, I pulled out milk, vanilla, nutmeg, 99% unsweetened cacao from Scharffen Berger, Valrhona Cacao Powder and cane sugar from the refrigerator and/or pantry. First, I heated up the egg nog and milk in my double boiler over medium/low heat. Always make sure the bottom of the boiler is not actually touching the water. This helps avoid scorching the milk and/or chocolate shavings.
After warming up the nog, I added the chocolate shavings and blended continuously with a whisk. My goal was to have a creamy hot chocolate, but not due to the egg nog’s consistency. I wished the mixture to be creamy from the cocoa. Thus, I added a little Valrhona Cacao Powder to achieve the creamy richness I desired. Next, came ground nutmeg and vanilla.
Initially, I planned on adding cane sugar to the mixture. However, the sweetness from the egg nog was pleasant enough. After working out the cacao powder lumps and ensuring the chocolate shavings melted completely, the color and texture of the mixture deepened. Now, I am ready for a taste…not too bad!
I poured up a small cup for myself and the other half. After he took a sip, he said “This is good hon”. For an on the fly, holiday inspired venture, I think I created a recipe for the books.
2/3 cup egg nog
1/3 cup milk
1 tbsp 99% cacao unsweetened baking bar, chopped
½ tbsp cacao powder
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp pure vanilla
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