Sugar Savvy

While I’ve never been a proponent of online dating, a recent experience showed me that the internet can indeed bring kindred spirits together. Through star-crossed postings, I discovered Seneca Klassen’s chocolate blog, and he discovered mine. Since I was writing an article on chocolatiers in the San Francisco Bay Area, and he was hard at work as co-owner of Bittersweet (a chocolate cafe with branches in San Fran and Oakland), we couldn’t have made a better match. On top of that, we’re both devoted fans of hot chocolate. During a brief email courtship, I asked Seneca to contribute a hot chocolate recipe to this column, and he gladly obliged. This spicy drinking chocolate infused with Indian flavors is a Bittersweet specialty.

Bittersweet Chocolate Chai

8 oz. prepared chai (see below)
3 oz. finely chopped bittersweet chocolate (70-80% cacao)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar (optional)

Step One: Prepare the chai in your favorite manner. At Bittersweet we cook lowfat milk with our chai blend at a slow rolling boil for about 30-40 minutes. The longer the preparation time, the stronger the chai!

Step Two: Blend the chocolate and hot chai. At Bittersweet, we’ve found that blending technique is very important –whisking by hand isn’t generally sufficient to create the mouthfeel and emulsification that we’re after. Start with well-chopped chocolate and don’t be afraid to use that kitchen technology. An immersion blender is great if you have one, but a standard mixer, food processor or milkshake-style spindle blender will do just fine.

Step Three: Relax, drink, enjoy, and then repeat and experiment!! Try blending various bittersweet chocolates to your personal taste, or play with a single origin chocolate instead of a blend — perhaps a bright, fruity Madagascar or Venezuela origin to balance the tone of the chai. Or split the blend 50/50 with a strong milk chocolate for some additional creaminess and caramel overtones. You get the idea– the possibilities are endless…

Options: Finish with a little cayenne or red pepper flakes to kick the spiciness up a notch.

Serves one.

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.