Hot chocolate

Ingredients

600 ml almond milk
20 g cacao powder*
50 g 70% dark chocolate chips*
50 g milk chocolate chips *
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds only
1 cardamom pod, seeds only, ground
1/4 tsp caraway, ground medium fine
pinch of sea salt
5 tbsp maple syrup or to taste

serving suggestions:
sweet cream or nut or soya cream
pinch of vanilla powder
pinch of organic orange zest
small handfull of gruetine**

Prepare

In a bowl, add 60 ml almond milk to cacao powder and mix thoroughly to make a uniform paste. Pour the remaining milk in a pot, add both chocolates, vanilla, salt, cardamom, and caraway, and heat until the chocolate has melted. Add the prepared paste and stir. Before serving, add the syrup and stir.

Whip cream with vanilla and orange zest until creamy.

Pour the hot chocolate into glasses, dollop the cream on top, sprinkle with guertine, coconut flakes or whatever desired, and serve.

* I use Michel Cluizel organic chocolate chips, as well as Michel Cluizel cacao powder. If you wish your drink to be more bitter, use dark chocolate only, but kids tend to prefer a 50/50 blend.
** Gruerine is caramelized sugar with Los Anconès chocolate and cacao bits. If you can’t get that, use vanilla powder, toasted and caramelized nuts, or regular cacao beans.

Recipe: Signe Meirane
Photo: Armands Meirans
From my book Crazy About