Mexican Hot Chocolate
Mexican chocolate dates as far back as the Aztecs, and oddly enough it was originally more sour than sweet. It was a highly prized commodity, and apparently the Spaniards are responsible for introducing it to Europe. It is somewhat more granular than regular chocolate, and when made into a beverage it gets a boost with the addition of spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and even chilis.
Mexican chocolate isn’t typically eaten on its own, and interestingly it is used as often in savoury preparations as sweet. It is the key ingredient in the very familiar mole, which is a rich brown sauce commonly made with chicken.
This hot chocolate is more flavorful and decadent than the typical North American winter warmer we’re so used to. It is super rich, so a four or five ounce serving will cover a dessert course nicely. In this case, heavy cream and egg yolk delivers its richness and cinnamon and brandy gives it a warm finish. In some preparations, it is poured repeatedly from one vessel into another to achieve a foamy head much like you would find on a cappuccino.
The process for making this updated version is not unlike making egg nog. It involves heating milk and cream together with chocolate chips, cocoa and a little salt. Egg yolk is then beaten separately with sugar until pale and thick, then tempered before adding into the hot milk mixture. Tempering involves adding some of the hot milk mixture bit by bit into the egg yolk and sugar to bring it up to temperature slowly. This is then added back into the rest of the hot milk without becoming chocolate scrambled eggs, which would be the case if one would just add the egg yolks in without slowly raising the temperature by tempering first.
This is a common procedure used for the preparation of many puddings, custards, sauces and even soups that use egg yolks as a thickener. After tempering the egg yolk into the hot milk, continue to cook it over low heat and stir it constantly. It will only take 3-5 minutes for the egg to cook and thicken your hot chocolate. It’s very important to not let this come to a boil as this will curdle the egg yolk. Cinnamon and brandy are added at the very end to retain their purest flavors. Finally, it’s important to pass the mixture through a strainer because traces of curdled egg inevitably remain even after tempering.
If you love hot chocolate I strongly encourage you to try this decadent variation. Garnish it with a cinnamon stick, maybe a final sprinkling of freshly ground cinnamon and you have a treat that even Frida and Diego would be proud of!
Check out a video demo for this recipe here!
Notes
This recipe can easily be doubled.
For plain hot chocolate, omit cinnamon and brandy.
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons 35% cream
- 2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- pinch salt
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 ounce brandy
Instructions
- In a small saucepan combine milk, cream, chocolate chips, cocoa powder and salt.
- Heat on medium low, stirring with a whisk to break up cocoa powder until smooth.
- Continue heating until chocolate chips are completely melted and mixture is well combined without letting it come to a boil.
- Meanwhile in a small cup, beat egg yolk and sugar with a spoon until thick and pale yellow, about 5 minutes.
- Slowing add about half of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolk and sugar, stirring continuously so the egg yolk does not curdle. Then add this mixture back into the hot milk and return to the stove.
- Continue to cook slowly over medium low heat, stirring constantly without ever letting it boil, about 3-5 minutes or until thickened slightly.
- Add cinnamon and brandy.
- Strain mixture before serving to remove any remaining solids that did not get incorporated.
- Garnish with cinnamon sticks and enjoy!