How to make hot chocolate at home. How to make the perfect hot chocolate
Hello, my dear girls and boys!
For most of us, desperate housewives and just housewives, autumn is the time to return to the kitchen, oven, hot dinners and freshly baked pastries. And no matter how much we resist it, in such cold weather it is simply impossible to resist the temptation to treat ourselves to a tasty, airy, aromatic and, most importantly, hot piece of fresh homemade pie. After all, we must not forget that food is not only carbohydrates and proteins, it is also the positive energy with which homemade pies are charged, if they are prepared with love. I began to notice with pleasure how my social media feeds gradually began to be filled with delicious homemade baked goods and the happy faces of the owners of these same baked goods.
But it's still summer in Greece! There are no yellow leaves (although there are never any here), people wear shorts and flip-flops, on weekends they still go to the sea to swim and sunbathe, and on the islands you can still meet belated tourists, in taverns and cafes people still sit outside even in the evenings . And only lemons and oranges ripening on the trees remind us that winter is coming.
I didn’t wait for the neighbor’s lemon tree to ripen and went and bought them at the market. Because it has been my plan for a long time to show you how to prepare real correct and rich lemon curd with fresh yolks and quality butter.
Who is a “Kurd” and what does lemons have to do with it?
The editor of a well-known culinary magazine, whom I respect very much, is actively fighting for the right to be called lemon curd. cream . She insists that the word “Kurd” in Russian can only mean the definition of an ethnic group living in Turkey. I can’t disagree with her, but you can’t go against the will of the people. But in the minds of the absolute majority of the Russian-speaking population of the planet, a stable phrase, a tracing-paper from the English language, has already formed and taken hold - “lemon curd”. So, it is this phrase that I will use in this context. Forgive me, dear Marianne.
Essentially, lemon curd is the same custard, or to be precise, a crème anglaise in which egg yolks are brewed, only instead of milk, lemon juice and zest are used.
Very often in recipes starch is added to lemon cream for thickness. In my opinion, this significantly spoils not only the taste, but also the texture of the Kurd. With the correct and only correct preparation, the curd turns out to be quite thick and homogeneous.
What I like most about lemon cream is that it's ready in no time!
Where can you apply lemon cream?
Fans of sour tastes can use lemon cream as a spread in any combination: with bread, buns, pancakes, pancakes, cheesecakes, etc.
I have a friend here, so give her a jar of Kurd, a larger spoon and she will be happy, and she won’t need anything else. Those who treat lemons more carefully can fill tarts, cakes, rolls, pastries or cupcakes with them. I usually cook with it and.
For me personally, the most optimal use of lemon curd is just a classic lemon pie with meringue. It is with neutral shortbread dough and sweet airy meringue that sour lemon curd goes perfectly well.
Anticipating your question, I will say: Yes, instead of lemons you can use oranges, tangerines, limes, and even various berries (preferably sour ones). At the same time, the preparation technology and ratios will remain the same. It’s just that such a cream will no longer have the characteristic lemon sourness. I advise you to try blood orange curd. The color turns out to be fire!
So, let's get down to step-by-step preparation!
From this amount of ingredients we will get a 250 ml jar of the finished product.
We will need:
- freshly squeezed lemon juice - 115 ml (2-3 pcs.)
- grated lemon zest - 2 tsp. (2 pcs.)
- sugar - 75 gr.
- egg yolks - 4 pcs.
- butter - 60 gr.
Step-by-step preparation:
For filling tarts, it is better to use Kurd while still warm. And for cakes, lemon cream must be cooled.
On this bright yellow note, I say goodbye, but not for long.
Good luck, love and patience.
Hot chocolate is a divine drink, aromatic, enchantingly sweet, thick and viscous, it intensifies passion, fills with energy and delights with an exceptional taste. You can order a cup of chocolate bliss in almost any cafe or restaurant, in all corners of the world, and you can prepare it at home, the main thing is to know the recipe.
What is hot chocolate made from?
The classic hot chocolate recipe is striking in its simplicity. It contains just two ingredients: milk and chocolate chips or chocolate bar. To prepare two servings, you need to combine 400 ml of whole milk and 100 g of dark chocolate, heat until completely dissolved and pour into cups. That's all, the “drink of the gods” is ready, you can enjoy it! For variety, you can add spices (vanilla, cinnamon, chili pepper, etc.), which will make the taste richer and take on a new sound.
You can also make hot chocolate at home from cocoa powder. True gourmets do not consider this drink to be real. Of course, it will not be so thick, fatty and nutritious, but it still has the right to exist. And if you really, really want something sweet, but you don’t have the treasured chocolate bar at home, then why not treat yourself to a cup of hot drink, even if it’s made with ground cocoa beans?
No. 1. Hot chocolate - homemade chocolate recipe
Prepared with milk and a bar of dark chocolate, with the addition of vanilla, sugar and a spoon of cocoa. It turns out to be a very thick and viscous drink, chocolate-chocolate, a sweet tooth’s dream. For preparation you will need dark natural chocolate, without additives or flavorings (porous will not work). It is best to take milk of high fat content, ideally whole, country milk, no matter boiled or raw.
Ingredients
- milk 1 tbsp.
- 70-80% dark chocolate 50 g
- sugar 1 tbsp. l.
- salt 1 chip.
- cocoa powder 1 tbsp. l.
- vanilla sugar 0.5 tsp.
Total cooking time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 3 minutes
Yield: 1 serving
How to make a chocolate drink
No. 2. Hot chocolate - homemade cocoa recipe
Prepared with milk and cocoa powder, with added sugar. The result is hot chocolate that is delicious, warming, and has a distinct flavor. An untrained person would never guess that the drink is made from cocoa powder.
Ingredients
- milk 1 cup
- cocoa powder 2 tbsp. l. no slide
- sugar 2 tsp.
Total cooking time: 7 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Yield: 1 serving
How to make a drink from cocoa powder
On a note
- To make hot chocolate even thicker, starch is sometimes added to it.
- Spices will add a refined aroma: cinnamon, vanilla, cardamom, ginger, hot pepper.
- Cream will make the drink velvety and tender. They can be added to the finished dessert (whipped) or used as a base for cooking. In this case, first melt the chocolate bar in a water bath, and then gradually add 400 ml of warm 30% cream, stirring with a whisk. Once the mixture is smooth, you can pour into cups.
What could be better than a cup of hot chocolate on a cool autumn day? This thick and aromatic drink became widespread back in the 16th-17th centuries, when the conquest of Mexico began. For the first time, the strange sweetness made from cocoa beans began to be served in Italian shops. There are many recipes for making hot chocolate - from solid chocolate or cocoa.
The easiest and most affordable way. Take two bars of dark chocolate with high cocoa content and melt in a water bath. Pour in 100 g of milk, stirring continuously. The mixture should not boil, but become a homogeneous mass. Hot chocolate made from the fruit of the chocolate tree. To prepare it, mix 2 tablespoons of cocoa, a teaspoon of cornstarch and a little sugar or vanillin in a container. Pour some water into it and stir. In another saucepan, heat 300 ml of cream. Add the hot cream to the cocoa mixture, lightly whisk and heat. Make an unusual white chocolate dessert with pumpkin. Make a puree from oven-baked pumpkin, mix it with 3 glasses of milk and spices. This could be ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, vanilla or nutmeg. Heat all this almost to a boil. Then pour the crushed white chocolate into the mixture and keep the container on low heat until the product is completely melted. Decorate the finished dish with grated dark chocolate.
Hot chocolate is not only tasty, but also healthy. The antioxidants and endorphins contained in chocolate have a positive effect on blood circulation, strengthen the immune system, fight cancer cells and slow down aging.
Are you a fan of hot chocolate, you like its delicious aroma and slightly bitter taste, but in order to enjoy your favorite drink you have to go to a cafe? Then this article is for you, because there is nothing easier than making hot chocolate with your own hands.
Classic hot chocolate is best prepared using not cocoa powder (especially soluble granules), but a bar of real dark chocolate containing at least 60% cocoa mass.
- Dark chocolate (70%) – 120 g.
- Milk – 0.5 l.
- Corn (you can use wheat) flour - 1 teaspoon.
- Granulated sugar - to taste.
Preparation:
- Bring the milk to a light boil, reduce the heat to low and add small pieces of chocolate to the container with the milk. Before preparing the drink, you can keep the chocolate bar in the freezer for two hours: the taste of the dessert will become more subtle after this procedure.
- Constantly stirring the aromatic substance, bring it to a homogeneous consistency and a low boil (with a timid gurgle).
- Dilute the cornmeal with a little hot water (to prevent lumps from forming) and thicken the drink with the resulting slurry. At this point you can add sugar.
- Pour hot chocolate into small cups and serve immediately.
Do-it-yourself milk chocolate is made from milk of any fat content, and to give it a pleasant creamy taste, you can use marshmallow candies.
Hot milk chocolate recipe with marshmallows
Ingredients:
- Milk (fat content 3.2%) – 0.5 liters.
- Dark chocolate (with 55% cocoa mass) – 100 g.
- Marshmallow lozenges – 1 cup.
- Vanilla extract - a third of a teaspoon.
- Cinnamon (powder) – a quarter teaspoon.
- A pinch of ground nutmeg.
Preparation:
- Place the chocolate chips, marshmallows and milk in a short saucepan and heat, stirring, over medium heat until the chocolate is completely melted (about 10 minutes).
- Having achieved the formation of a homogeneous substance, whisk it thoroughly with a whisk.
- Remove the pan from the stove, season the dessert with cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract and whisk again.
- Now you can pour hot chocolate into cups and delight your guests.
You can make your own dark chocolate only from a bar of real dark chocolate without additives.
Thick dark chocolate recipe
Ingredients:
- Dark chocolate (containing at least 70% cocoa mass) - 100 g.
- Milk – 50 ml.
- Cognac – 1 tablespoon.
- Favorite spices to taste.
Heat the milk and melt the chocolate pieces in it. At the end of cooking, add spices and pour in a spoonful of cognac. This chocolate can only be eaten with a spoon.
Dark chocolate can be prepared at home using cocoa mass (it comes in the form of bars) and cocoa butter. These products can now be purchased online or in departments specializing in the sale of coffee and chocolate (cocoa butter can be purchased at pharmacies).
Recipe for dark chocolate from grated cocoa
Ingredients:
- Cocoa mass – 2 tablespoons.
- Cocoa butter – 2 tablespoons.
- Milk – 200 ml.
- Granulated sugar - to taste.
Mix all ingredients in a saucepan, place it over medium heat and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.
If you want to prepare an exotic dessert, try doing it the way it is customary in Chile: the presence of hot red pepper will enhance the taste of the hot drink and add a pleasant variety to it.
Chilean dark chocolate recipe
Ingredients:
- Dark chocolate – 100 g.
- Milk – 1000 ml.
- Ground red pepper - to taste.
- Whipped cream.
Pour the milk into the saucepan, bring it to a low boil, add the pieces of dark chocolate and wait until they are completely melted, continuously stirring the chocolate mass. Pour the dessert into glasses, garnish with whipped cream and sprinkle with red pepper.
Do-it-yourself white chocolate is much less common, but if you like desserts with a delicate creamy taste, this is just what you need.
Hot white chocolate recipe
Ingredients:
- White chocolate – 160 g.
- Milk – 1000 ml.
- Cream (whipped), for decoration.
Pour the milk into the saucepan and bring it to a boil. Add white chocolate pieces and stir until smooth. Pour the hot drink into bowls, garnishing with a cloud of whipped cream on top.
- To prevent the taste of hot chocolate from seeming cloying, it is served with a glass of cold water.
- The chocolate bar from which you plan to make dessert should be kept in the freezer for a couple of hours: this will improve the taste of the drink.
- If you want hot chocolate with a bright and rich taste, let the finished dessert sit for a while and then heat it up.