Published originally on my blog on 4 December 2012
Yesterday fell the first snow of the season. I woke up in the morning to see the beautiful snowflakes gently falling outside my bedroom window while my whole being was screaming, "don't go to work, stay in bed, call in sick". I couldn't. I had to go.
I wore my heaviest and warmest coat, my big fat woolen gloves, a long scarf that I wrapped around my neck and head to keep the cold out, my favorite sheepskin boots to keep my toes warm and I braved the cold weather. My hands and face were freezing in no time as the snow that suddenly turned to rain, then to hail, and finally to snow again was grazing my cheeks. I was aching to go back home and crawl into bed but I pressed on.
The whole day at work I was dreaming of being in the arms of my S, drinking a cup of hot cocoa. That's all I wanted to do, and that's exactly what I did when I got home. S and I, after a rather difficult day out in the world, we sat on our comfy couch, put our favorite music on and drank some of this rich hot cocoa.
I hope you'll enjoy it as well.
Rumor has it, it will snow heavily in the next couple of weeks in The Hague. I can't wait! Perhaps we'll have a white Christmas.
See you again soon.
Hot Cocoa
Milk, cocoa, sugar. It couldn't be much simpler than that. A good hot cocoa means good cocoa powder. Don't use anything other than Dutch-processed which has an intense flavor and dark color.
The small amount of cinnamon complements the flavor of the cocoa and it’s really subtle. The sea salt enhances the cocoa flavor like nothing else does.
Yield: 2 large cups
Ingredients
500 ml fresh, whole milk
5 heaped tsp Dutch-processed cocoa powder (I use Van Houten but also Droste)
4 tsp caster sugar (or more to taste)
¼ tsp cinnamon powder (optional but preferable)
Good pinch of sea salt
Preparation
In a milk pan or small saucepan, add all the ingredients and place over medium heat. Heat, stirring until the cocoa dissolves. Don't allow the milk to boil but take it off the heat when it just starts to bubble at the edges of the pan.
Note 1: The 4 tsp of sugar that I use, make for a fairly sweet cocoa. Add more or less depending on how you prefer your cocoa to taste. Keep in mind though that Dutch-processed cocoa powder is quite bitter.
Note 2: If you want to froth it up, watch the clip below and start doing this with a small whisk when it just starts to bubble at the edges of the pan. Turn heat off after you’ve whisked for 10 seconds and finish frothing off the heat. It shouldn’t take more than half a minute. The froth will last for several minutes after you’ve poured the cocoa into mugs given you don’t stir it with a spoon. Pour it equally among the mugs so both have enough froth on top.
Drink the cocoa while it's still hot, served with your favorite cookies. We chose the traditional Dutch pepernoten and mini stroopwafels.
