John’s Classic Drinking Chocolate

spiritussancto's Note:

i'm dying to try this, i've been craving a good drinking chocolate for ages. swiped off of ezrapoundcake.com for safekeeping. this looks marginally less bad for you since it's done with milk instead of heavy cream. we'll see. drinking chocolate is nothing like cocoa by the way. thick and rich like drinking a melted chocolate bar, this is way more intense. don't pour yourself a big cup.

• Total Time: 10 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 5 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 6-12

Yield: 6.0 cups

• 2 1/2 cups whole milk
• 4 ounces unsweetened dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (i expect a split vanilla bean would be better)
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the milk until it is hot to the touch.
2. Whisk in the chocolate and sugar, and continue whisking for 1 to 2 minutes until the sugar has dissolved. Whisk in the vanilla (and the cinnamon and cayenne, if using).
3. Reduce the heat to low. Serve immediately, or remove from heat and mix with a hand blender for a lighter consistency.