Hot chocolate

Ingredients for 5 servings:

• 1 liter of milk
• 150 g couverture, dark or bittersweet chocolate (at least 60% cocoa content)
• 1 pinch(s) vanilla powder
• some sugar

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 5 minutes; Total time approx. 20 minutes

Basic recipe and variations

Bring the milk and vanilla powder to a boil and remove from the heat. Dissolve the chopped chocolate in the milk while stirring, then add sugar to taste. If you prefer a more bitter chocolate, omit the sugar. Variations – the respective ingredients are added to the basic recipe: Spanish/Italian chocolate: Mix 3-4 slightly heaped teaspoons of cornstarch into cold milk and stir continuously with a whisk. This results in a wonderfully creamy, almost pudding-like consistency. Cherry-lemon chocolate: Add 40-50 ml of kirsch and a little grated lemon zest. Spicy strawberry chocolate: Add a pinch of chili powder, a pinch of black pepper, and 50 ml of strawberry liqueur. Espresso chocolate: Add 2-3 tablespoons of strong espresso. Orange chocolate: Add a little grated orange zest and 50 ml of orange liqueur. For a more Christmassy flavor, add ground cloves and cinnamon. Garnish with an orange slice. Chocolate with mint: Place fresh mint in a tea bag and let it steep in the chocolate for 2 minutes. This also tastes wonderful with white hot chocolate; for this, prepare the basic recipe with white chocolate. Garnish with fresh mint. All flavorings can, of course, also be used with the creamier version.