What a Cup of Hot Chocolate Can Do

When I went to college they diagnosed me with ADD. That gave me a sense of relief because it explained some eccentricities in my personality, like becoming obsessed with a particular subject. I have previously told my humble readership about one of them, I would like to tell you about another one. It originates in the fruit of the Theobroma Cacao plant, which was utilized by pre-Columbian civilizations in the form of a bitter drink and made its way to Europe and therefore to the rest of the world. Yes, my other obsession, my kryptonite, my weakness, the object of almost daily revere, and after my wife and daughter, the sweetener to my very existence is none other than Hot Chocolate.

Ever since I was a child I loved the smell of Chocolate tablets melting in heated milk and watching my mom smile at us children while stirring the drink. The sensation of the thick sweet liquid pouring inside my mouth would warm up my life and make me beg for more, even if a stomachache would come as the result of excessive consumption, it was always worth it. Hot chocolate would most of the time be associated with good times in my life. Sir James M. Barrie wrote: “God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December”. We didn't have seasons in Venezuela (it's a nice tropical country), but hot chocolate would usually give me a bit of spring during any time of my life, even during a hard one.

Later on in life, I had the daunting experience of hunting for a job in Manhattan, which produced in me a state of melancholy that would only be cured by ingesting the divine elixir of the Italian Hot Chocolate (a good imitation of Cioccolata Densa) of Max Brenner, made out of Venezuelan cacao (I might sound biased, but it's the best). When drinking the magic brew my mind would be transported back into Caracas and make me feel the warmth of home with relatives; my whole being would be filled with a happy sensation that was harder to come by while experiencing unemployment. It was so creamy, as creamy as my mother's hot chocolate, so rich, so engaging. I could indulge in its consumption only once a month, OK maybe once every two weeks, hmm... make it once a week. Since then I knew that in the United States there was something better than the mediocrity they sell in the pouches of Swiss Miss (which I consumed in the office while employed because the alternative would be coffee, which I don't drink).

After moving to Salt Lake City about two years ago,  my wife and I walked into a local chocolate store which had been recommended by co-worker, the name of the store? The Hatch Family Chocolates. I was pleasantly surprised to see there an old acquaintance from college, Steve Hatch. Steve, is the accomplice in crime to Kate Masterson in the TLC show The Little Chocolatiers.

I have had the pleasure of knowing them for a while, and I can honestly say that Stave and Kate are the real sweet deal both in person and on screen. They are hard-working, honest, amicable people; they never act as  celebrities (which they've become) but as cordial human beings. This entry is not about their show (in all honesty, I don't have cable, and I've only seen the pilot), this is about one of their products. People around here know the Hatch Family Chocolates better because of their sweet and tempting confections, but this blogger? this blogger has an obsession, remember? Those pieces of visual and culinary art they display in their counters, the rare and masterful edible crafts that Kate and Steve would design and put together, those were not my primary objective (OK, I'm also enamored with their candy, but I don't want to get off topic here). My goal was having a sip of the Italian Hot Chocolate I knew they sold, that day I accomplished my objective.

I experienced once again that same joy I had in New York City, and the taste of sultry chocolate filled my tongue again, letting me feel the rich texture of the liquid. I knew that there were people out there (besides my mom and the guys at Max Brenner) who could sell a good, creamy, and fulfilling cup of hot chocolate. I've been a faithful customer since then.

But more importantly, having that cup of hot chocolate at the Hatch's store made me dream again; it reminded me of the dream I had of one day opening my own hot chocolate café and share the joy with the rest of the world. This week, (after having another cup of hot chocolate at the Hatch's) I decided that if I want my dream of a place in which I offered a hot chocolate that would make people melt just like I melted when I have the Hatch's brew, and come back for more just like I usually do, then I better create it. Furthermore, just like Steve and Kate offer a variety of chocolate goods in their store, I better  find a way to diversify the product.

It was then that I decided to start a quest, the quest for MY OWN HOT CHOCOLATE RECIPES, even if it meant that I burned and wasted several tablets of my precious Chocolate de Tasa from Venezuela's Nestle's brand “Savoy”. I started last night by boiling two cups of water with two cinnamon sticks and
melting half a tablet of my “Chocolate de Tasa”. I added Half a pint of Heavy Cream  and a teaspoon of Corn Starch (hey, I wanted creamy, OK?). I knew that I would need more sweetness and more flavor, so I added a teaspoon of  Cinnamon Sugar (it's the sugar I had at hand while the brew was boiling) and with the intent of giving it zest, I added a pinch of salt, and a pinch of Chile Molido (Cayenne Pepper).

In my mind I was ready to fail, after all it was my first attempt. I prepared for the experience by popping in a lactase pill, to avoid one of those post-hot chocolate stomachaches (yes, I'm lactose intolerant, who knew?) After burning at least 15% percent of my taste buds along with my wife, I was quite pleased with the result. My concoction had flavor, zest, sweetness, and a modest creaminess (it wasn't as creamy as I had pictured it), but the most important thing is that I had created it, prepared it and liked it. I was able to go to sleep feeling like an artist once again, and knowing that I had created something new. I called this new creation Gonz's Proto-Hot-Chocolate 1.0, or simply “El Hummer”, because of the humming noise I made when I tried its zesty flavor.

Thank you, Hatch Family Chocolates for inspiring me, and bringing back not only happy memories, but one of my dreams.

For those who are interested here's the recipe for 2 cups of  “Gonzalo's 'El Hummer' Hot Chocolate”

2 Cups of water
2 Cinnamon Sticks
½ a Tablet of Chocolate de Tasa (if not found a 60% Cacao bar should do the trick)
½ pint of Heavy Cream (Half and Half should do it too)
A teaspoon of Corn Starch
A pinch of Salt
A pinch of Chile Molido
A teaspoon of Cinnamon Sugar

Boil water with the sticks in. Add the Chocolate in pieces, and the corn starch, start stirring (you don't want any lumps in your chocolate). Add the cream, and finally, the bits of Salt and Chile. Serve and enjoy.