Extraordinary Mexican Hot Chocolate

This was my first recipe. Saved from an unfortunate truffle mishap, it melted into a rich, sexy hot chocolate that is to be savored in demitasse. It was the first time I felt like I could call a recipe “my own” although it has been so poked and prodded by teaching hands that it is just as much mine as it is the world’s.

This is one of my favorite desserts, along with a variation of chocolate chile cream pots. It warms me from the inside and feels equally nourishing to give away as to drink it myself. I am fairly certain that it is this dessert that has kept my partner Aaron and I together throughout the years.

This is for heart aches and bone breaks.

This is for late night candle light.

This is for falling in love, over and over again.

This is the dessert I ask for when the world is right and when the world is upside down.

This is the dessert for extraordinary moments.

Mexican Hot Chocolate

10 oz dark chocolate

3 tbl butter

3 cups cream

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

½ tsp cinnamon

2 cups (or more) milk

Melt the chocolate, cream and butter together. As soon as it is melted turn the heat down as low as possible. Scoop out a small amount of the chocolate, cream and butter into a cup. Add cayenne pepper and cinnamon to this cup and mix thoroughly, then pour the mixture back into the pot. This is so the cayenne and cinnamon mix evenly throughout the melted chocolate instead of clumping in one spot. Add the 2 cups of milk, or until you reach the consistency you like. Serve warm with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.