Valrhona Hot Chocolate
If the wintering of the northern hemisphere isn’t enough to put me in a bad mood, the frigid clouds that have blown in over what’s supposed to be spring here in southern Australia will do the job. Luckily, an out-of-town guest has kept me in good spirits, and my mood was especially lifted when we stopped into Circa, the oft-awarded restaurant at the Prince Hotel in Melbourne’s St Kilda neighborhood. At breakfast time, Circa serves Valrhona hot chocolate. A swanky ceramic cup full of that perfectly-melted chocolate libation could fend off bad weather anywhere.Valrhona makes some of France’s most indulgent chocolate. The company’s meticulously-trained experts create couverture blends using top-quality beans sourced from top-secret plantations. While Valhrona is embraced throughout Europe and well known in the US (the popularity of the molten Valrhona chocolate cake surged in American restaurants in the 1990s), the stuff is practically unheard of in Australia outside of a gourmet food shop called Simon Johnson. Regardless of where you’re located, Valrhona hot chocolate is easy to make at home once you get your hands on a block of the chocolate company’s couverture (for ultimate indulgence, go for the Guanaja).
Valrhona Hot Chocolate
Chop or grate three ounces of Valrhona chocolate into small pieces. Heat one cup of milk on low until just below the boiling point. Whisk in the chocolate until melted and incorporated. Remove the pot from the heat, cover it, and let the mixture sit for twenty minutes. Allowing the hot chocolate to steep in this way will enhance the flavors. Before serving, heat the mixture to just below boiling point again.
Serves one.
Chocolate-loving chef, cookbook author, and blogger David Lebovitz also has a terrific article on Parisian hot chocolate, including a pair of do-it-yourself recipes.
This column appears on Sugar Savvy during the second and fourth week 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.
