Jacques Torres - Frozen Hot Chocolate
When I was younger, Saturday mornings usually consisted of a marathon of cooking shows on public television. Jacques Torres’ Dessert Circus was one of them, featuring the French pātissier and chocolatier creating masterpieces that both inspired and intimidated. He made things fun and was one of the first people I saw who really focused on quality chocolate craftsmanship.
After sampling some of his amazing desserts at Le Cirque 2000 many years ago, I knew that I had to visit his stores in New York City. I left with a dark chocolate ginger bar (60%) and a bag of chocolate-covered Cheerios as gifts, but struck gold when I took a sip of the frozen hot chocolate.
At $3.50 a serving, it’s quite a deal. You can get Classic or Wicked, wicked being spiced with chilies. And unlike the cold chocolate I had from La Maison du Chocolat, this was an actual blended beverage, not something served over ice cubes or just chilled and served straight up.
The Classic frozen hot chocolate was absolutely divine: thick enough to coat your mouth, but icy and cold enough to still be refreshing on a hot day, especially when you’re trekking across the Brooklyn Bridge in the summer on foot! The chocolate flavor was intense but not too sweet: deep flavor without an overtly bitter edge.
The drink passed the definitive test when we were walking in the hot summer weather, as it managed to hold up its intense flavor even as it started melting. How did it achieve that? Using ice cubes made out of hot chocolate? Was I suffering heat stroke and the integrity of the flavor just my imagination? After all, I didn’t see the drink being made, as I was too busy prowling the store for gifts. Hats (or toques) off to Chef Torres for figuring it out.
Those of you who live in New York City are lucky. I highly recommend the frozen hot chocolate and wish I had tried the Wicked flavor also. At $3.50, it’s quite a bargain when even your standard Starbucks hot chocolate will cost about that much. I’m glad to see that excellent European chocolat chaud can be found on the other side of the Atlantic!
Jacques Torres Chocolate
Hudson Square
350 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014
(212)414-2462
66 Water Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 875-9772
