283812 Mon Mar 13 12:15:22 -0800 2006 34 31 Home Cooking 0 1515802 I like hot cocoa as much as or even more than hot chocolate. Last night I tried it with some Chinese 5-spice powder and, as usual, red pepper flakes for heat. (I'd been using cinnamon and red pepper flakes for a while.) It was really good. Do you have other variations to suggest? Mon Mar 13 12:15:22 -0800 2006 0 Sir Gawain 1 1515807 Dear Sir Gawain, What's the difference between hot cocoa and hot chocolate? Mon Mar 13 12:48:40 -0800 2006 1515802 0 LisaM 2 1515811 I think that SG is making the distinction btwn. a drink that's made from cocoa powder vs. melting chocolate. Mon Mar 13 12:54:28 -0800 2006 1515807 0 Carb Lover 3 1515815 Exactly. Mon Mar 13 13:16:40 -0800 2006 1515811 0 Sir Gawain 1 1515808 Sounds good. After the movie "Chocolat", I was adding cayenne or chile powder to my cocoa on a regular basis... I've been enjoying Penzeys cocoa powder this winter, but I don't add anything too unique...Tahitian vanilla extract and Penzeys Vietnamese Cinnamon. Very good though. I haven't tried this in cocoa, but I really like the combo of ginger and choc. You could add ginger powder, or for a true infusion and smoother mouthfeel (my preference), steep some fresh ginger and strain. I'm also thinking that infusing toasted nuts (almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts) would be delicious. You could toast, crush a bit to release oils, and then strain after steeping. What cocoa have you been using? Mon Mar 13 12:49:53 -0800 2006 1515802 0 Carb Lover 2 1515820 Fantastic idea. I've had ginger on the brain in this cold weather, and beacuse ginger looked so fresh and wonderful in Chinatown this weekend. I always keep a bottle of simple syrup in the fridge. Perhaps a ginger-infused version would be good to keep on hand for ginger tea and ginger hot cocoa/chocolate (and for homemade ginger ale when it gets warm again). For SG, perhaps lime zest. I like lime chocolate bars, so why not try it in liquid? I love your 5-spice idea. I'll give it a try soon. Mon Mar 13 13:28:22 -0800 2006 1515808 0 nooodles 3 1515823 YES! Lime or orange zests are good ideas. I have the Boyajian citrus oils, and a drop or two might be excellent. I just have to make sure my hand doesn't slip... it's easy to overdo it with that stuff. Mon Mar 13 13:32:15 -0800 2006 1515820 0 Sir Gawain 4 1515826 I've always thought they should come with eyedroppers attached to the bottom of the lid, like bath oils. But that would probably drive up the price a lot. Mon Mar 13 13:39:01 -0800 2006 1515823 0 nooodles 5 1515829 Yes, I've been told that eye droppers (or whatever you call them) are best for adding potent oils or extracts w/ precision. Another good reason to raid husband's lab!! (BTW, I may be inheriting an old centrifuge to play around w/ in the kitchen...) Mon Mar 13 13:49:04 -0800 2006 1515826 0 Carb Lover 6 1515939 you can ask your pharmacist for an eyedropper bottle or two. They keep them on hand for filling Rx's. Mon Mar 13 22:21:08 -0800 2006 1515829 0 toodie jane 2 1515822 PS. This made me think of my recent sampling of Vosges chocolates that blend unusual spice, nut, and fruit combos w/ choc. Linked my report from General Topics below, which may give you some inspiration. It's a long post, but flavor elements are in parentheses after each chocolate. Please report back on any noteworthy results! Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/301628#1683045 Mon Mar 13 13:31:06 -0800 2006 1515808 0 Carb Lover 3 1515941 I was going to suggest putting pieces of flavored chocolate bars, such as Vosges, in the cocoa. The way I "improve" cocoa most of the time is to make it with at least some actual melted dark chocolate. Mon Mar 13 22:24:38 -0800 2006 1515822 0 bibi rose 2 1515915 Use Burdick's hot chocolate and you will not need to improve it! Mon Mar 13 19:45:30 -0800 2006 1515808 0 emilief 3 1515995 Um..., we were talking about cocoa. There is no doubt that there are dozens of very good hot chocolate mixes out there and everyone has their favorite. However, the hot chocolate mixes are nearly always 1) very expensive by comparison w/cocoa 2) more perishable 2) much fattier than cocoa, making for a much thicker, not to mention calorie-heavy drink. Personally I don't care about the calories so long as the stuff tastes great, but usually prefer the comparative lightness of a cocoa drink, without the viscous mouthfeel of hot chocolate. As for "improving".... good cocoa tastes great on its own, but it's nice to be able to customize your drink depending on momentary mood. Any idiot can make the basic stuff that comes out of the box - but it takes discernment to add other flavor notes. Tue Mar 14 10:37:19 -0800 2006 1515915 0 Sir Gawain 4 1515998 Oh and I forgot... many hot choc mixes are also TOO SWEET. Tue Mar 14 11:02:54 -0800 2006 1515995 0 Sir Gawain 4 1516000 Perugina was mentioned...so...Cocoa Mavens...we have had discussions on the best Hot Chocolate already...what are YOUR favorite Cocoa powders for great Hot Cocoa's? Tue Mar 14 11:06:19 -0800 2006 1515995 0 ChowFun (derek) 5 1516004 I can't say that I've covered an awful lot of territory, but am really happy with Pernigotti cocoa powder from WS. I don't usually buy foods there, but once I did get a can of this and was so pleased I didn't see the need to expand into other brands. I have also used the 'Double Dutch dark cocoa' from King Arthur out of curiosity. That was really tasty too. Also: What a deal! Maybe I'll get it again next time. Link: http://shop.bakerscatalogue.com/detail.jsp;jsessionid=08303040821142352758957?id=3110&pv=1142352759190 Tue Mar 14 11:15:12 -0800 2006 1516000 0 Sir Gawain 5 1516058 Since we've moved on to the topic of prepackaged cocoas, please start a new thread on the General Topics board, where all hounds can benefit and add their tips. This also helps us keep the focus of this board on cooking tips. Thanks! Tue Mar 14 14:13:59 -0800 2006 1516000 2 The Chowhound Team 1 1515810 Sir G, would you mind sharing your basic recipe for cocoa? And which cocoa powder? I can't seem to get the ratios right and usually end up adding some solid chocolate. Thanks! Mon Mar 13 12:52:59 -0800 2006 1515802 0 petradish 2 1515817 Well, it's not much of a recipe, since I can only guess the measurements, but something like this... 1 1/2 cup good 2% milk or full-fat milk 3 heaping spoonfuls of good dark cocoa powder (I use Pernigotti, just because that's what I have at home; I think its is Dutch-process) 1.5 tablespoons sugar (or maybe more, I don't know, I add it gradually until I like the taste) and usually add a large pinch of pepper flakes no matter what other flavor I add... I just like that neutral heat. Mon Mar 13 13:22:04 -0800 2006 1515810 0 Sir Gawain 3 1515850 These are the pepper flakes we put on pizza? Do they sink to the bottom? Mon Mar 13 15:09:02 -0800 2006 1515817 0 nooodles 4 1515853 They float, and sometimes I drink them and sometimes I strain them. Mon Mar 13 15:26:15 -0800 2006 1515850 0 Sir Gawain 1 1515813 Peppermint Schnapps Mon Mar 13 13:00:43 -0800 2006 1515802 0 Evan 2 1515827 I like Baileys and/or grand marnier... my preference is to then skip the sugar since these are sweet liquers (can always add sugar to taste if not sweet enough for ya) Mon Mar 13 13:44:09 -0800 2006 1515813 0 julesrules 1 1515814 Like you I like to play around with my hot choc and cocoa. I personally like to start with Mexican hot chocolate bars such as Ibarra or Abuelita. I have added cayenne and other chilis, black pepper, five spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, clove, mace, anise and fennel seeds, star anise, ginger, galangal, smoked paprika, cumin, curry mix, and most recently cardomom... (but very sparingly). Almost all were really good. Galangal was kind of different and I am not sure I liked it, I need to try it again. Curry and cumin was good in very minute amounts. Smoked paprika tasted lousy! Sometimes I add some high quality instant coffee, just a hint, not enough to actually call it mocha. For something completely different you can add a spoon of peanut butter, almond butter, hazelnut butter, or Nuttella. I have also added a spoonful of preserves and really like using marmalade. The bitter orange goes great with chocolate. Mon Mar 13 13:07:59 -0800 2006 1515802 0 JMF 2 1515818 Wowza! In other words, the whole spice cabinet. I have always - paradoxically - found those two mex choc bars not chocolatey enough. I just prefer to dump a whole lot of dark cocoa in. Did any of those spices struck you as ESPECIALLY successful? Mon Mar 13 13:24:16 -0800 2006 1515814 0 Sir Gawain 1 1515825 js bonbons of Toronto adds lavender to their hot chocolate. Divine! They have other flavors, too, like salty caramel and gianduja (hazelnut). See the link below for the list. Anne Link: http://www.jsbonbons.com/bar.php Mon Mar 13 13:38:24 -0800 2006 1515802 0 AnneInMpls 1 1515830 Try brown sugar instead of regular sometimes -- I find the extra flavor goes especially well with cinnamon and/or ginger. Mon Mar 13 13:56:43 -0800 2006 1515802 0 Dizzied 2 1515842 Good point. Will try tonight w/ ginger. Mon Mar 13 14:41:25 -0800 2006 1515830 0 Sir Gawain 1 1515866 wow awesome responses you're getting . . . I infused milk with an ancho chile on one experiment - lots of depth added. I had actually heated up too much milk, so I put it and the ancho in glass until the next day. It's so raisiny fruity with just a little heat. Great stuff! Mon Mar 13 15:55:46 -0800 2006 1515802 0 pitu 1 1515966 a pinch of cardamom. Tue Mar 14 06:59:35 -0800 2006 1515802 0 hobokeg 1 1516126 All this talk got me excited to try some new combos myself. Decided to take my own advice and try fresh ginger w/ cocoa. It turned out very well, and I do love the combo of ginger and choc!! While it had the sweet decadence of choc, the ginger gave it a spicy soothing quality that I really liked. Husband thought the ginger was too potent so I'll ratchet it down a bit next time. What I did: Slowly warmed 2 c. of whole milk in saucepan. Added 1.5 TB Penzeys Dutch process cocoa powder, 1.5 TB sugar, and about a TB of fresh grated ginger. Turned off heat and let ginger steep for a min. or two. Poured into mugs through a sieve. BTW, to what degree do hounds warm their milk? Should it be just warmed through, scalded, or just start to boil?? I do it to warm and be hot enough to make the cocoa "volatile" (borrowing from petradish) and for good steeping, but I wonder if I should take it further for any reason? Tue Mar 14 19:04:01 -0800 2006 1515802 0 Carb Lover 1 1516164 I'm not much of a cocao/hot choc drinker, but I do wonder that no one suggested honey or orange blossom honey as additions to the choc drinks. Tue Mar 14 23:34:01 -0800 2006 1515802 0 yayadave 2 1516342 I think honey is a bit too subtle of a taste to be really appreciated in hot cocoa, and especially hot chocolate. But then again I never tried it. Now honey in hot milk is another matter entirely... Wed Mar 15 20:54:06 -0800 2006 1516164 0 Sir Gawain 1 1517439 Chiming in late, but my first go-to for flavoring hot cocoa is always liqueurs, especially Kahlua, Grand Marnier or Cointreau, Frangelico, and amaretto. Wed Mar 22 16:33:40 -0800 2006 1515802 0 Caitlin McGrath