Sugar Savvy

Chili (or chile) is now part of the common hot chocolate arsenal. On the eve of Friday the Thirteenth, why not toast the dark side with a glass of this libation?

Demonic Hot Chocolate
Chop or grate one ounce each of dark chocolate and milk chocolate into small pieces (remember to use a high-quality couverture–make sure no fats other than cocoa butter appear on the list of ingredients). Heat one cup of milk, mixed with one eighth of a teaspoon of chili powder, on low until just below the boiling point. Whisk in the chocolate until melted and incorporated. Immediately remove the pot from the heat, pour the hot chocolate into a mug, and serve.
Serves one. (To make more, multiply the quantities above by the number of servings you wish to make.)

Once you have mastered this recipe, test the spirits with a variety of other ingredients. In the place of the chili powder, try crushed chilies, or a drop (a drop, mind you) of Tabasco, or a pinch of premixed curry powder. If you prefer to have someone else do the work for you, there are a variety of artisanal hot hot chocolate mixes on the market: two of my favorites are Jacques Torres’s Wicked Hot Chocolate and MarieBelle’s Spicy Hot Chocolate.

This column appears on Sugar Savvy on the second and fourth Thursday of each month. Each installment will feature a recipe, and may include tips from famous chocolatiers, ancient techniques, or contemporary innovations. Please send in your questions about hot chocolate by Email.