Hot Chocolate with Grated Willie's Cacao
Willie prepares the basic hot chocolate recipe of three parts water to one part grated Wille's Cacao.
The Recipe
Cacao has been consumed as a drink for thousands of years in Central America. This recipe is based on a typical Aztec beverage. The light heat from the chilli helps open up the subtle chocolate flavours. I have used ancho chilli, which is mild, but the Aztecs would have used many other types...
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European Hot Chocolate/ Aztec Hot Chocolate
Cacao has been consumed as a drink for thousands of years in Central America. This recipe is based on a typical Aztec beverage. The light heat from the chilli helps open up the subtle chocolate flavours. I have used ancho chilli, which is mild, but the Aztecs would have used many other types with varying heats. Experiment to suit your taste and mood.
The Europeans modified Aztec cacao drinks to create something they considered more palatable. One significant change was the addition of sugar. They also liked to add various eastern spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, and crushed rose petals or jasmine flowers were sometimes stirred in as flavourings. Milk was a later addition, and I’ve chosen not to use it here.
For the Aztec Hot Chocolate:
Serves 6
90g 100% Willie's Cacao, finely grated
450ml water
1 tsp ancho chilli powder
3/4 tsp achiote powder (optional)
1/3 vanilla pod, or
1/4 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 tbsp honey
For the European Hot Chocolate:
Serves 6
90g 100% Willie's Cacao, finely grated
450ml water
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3 tbsp sugar
1/3 vanilla pod, or
1/4 tsp vanilla essence
For the Aztec Hot Chocolate:
Tip the cacao, water, chilli and achiote powder, if using, into a saucepan. If you are using a vanilla pod, scrape out the seeds and add them, with the pod, to the pan. Bring to the boil, stirring frequently, then lower the heat and simmer gently for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture thickens slightly. Take out and discard the vanilla pod, then whisk well to create a light foam. Remove from the heat and, if using vanilla essence, stir it in now. Serve piping hot in small cups, or leave to cool a little and serve, as the Aztecs would have done, at room temperature.
For the European Hot Chocolate:
Place the cacao, water, cinnamon and sugar in a saucepan. Scrape out the seeds from the vanilla pod, if using, but add both the pod and seeds to the pan. Bring to the boil, stirring frequently, then lower the heat and simmer gently for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture thickens a little. Remove anddiscard the vanilla pod. Whisk well to create a light foam. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla essence, if using instead of the pod. Serve hot.
Find more recipes in Willie's Chocolate Bible and Willie's Chocolate Factory Cookbook