French hot chocolate
French chocolat chaud has nothing to do with cocoa powder: it is dark chocolate melted into milk and cream, thick, velvety and so intense it is served in small cups. In Paris cafés it can be as thick as a sauce, eaten with a spoon. At home all you need is good chocolate of 60–70% cocoa and patience: once the chocolate is in, the drink must not boil, or the cocoa butter separates out and the velvety texture turns grainy.
Your own work in that: 0 min.
- Preparation 5 min
- Heating 10 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneChop the chocolate
Chop the chocolate finely with a knife — the finer it is, the faster and more smoothly it melts.
Ingredients: 150 g dark chocolate, 60–70% · 500 ml whole milk · 100 ml whipping cream (30%) · 1 tbsp sugar (to taste) · ½ tsp vanilla extract · 1 pinch salt
Finely chopped chocolate melts evenly.Heat the milk
Heat the milk and cream in a heavy pan until steaming with small bubbles at the edges. Do not boil.
Ingredients: 150 g dark chocolate, 60–70% · 500 ml whole milk · 100 ml whipping cream (30%) · 1 tbsp sugar (to taste) · ½ tsp vanilla extract · 1 pinch salt
Bubbles at the edge — that is enough.Melt the chocolate
Take the pan off the heat and add the chocolate. Wait a minute, then whisk until smooth and glossy.
Ingredients: 150 g dark chocolate, 60–70% · 500 ml whole milk · 100 ml whipping cream (30%) · 1 tbsp sugar (to taste) · ½ tsp vanilla extract · 1 pinch salt
Heat again
Set the pan back over low heat and cook 3–4 minutes, whisking constantly, until the drink thickens and coats the whisk. Never let it boil.
Ingredients: 150 g dark chocolate, 60–70% · 500 ml whole milk · 100 ml whipping cream (30%) · 1 tbsp sugar (to taste) · ½ tsp vanilla extract · 1 pinch salt
It thickens and clings to the whisk.Season
Add a pinch of salt and the vanilla. Taste, and only then decide about sugar — with 60% chocolate a tablespoon, or none, is usually enough.
Ingredients: 150 g dark chocolate, 60–70% · 500 ml whole milk · 100 ml whipping cream (30%) · 1 tbsp sugar (to taste) · ½ tsp vanilla extract · 1 pinch salt
Whisk smooth
Whisk vigorously for half a minute or blitz with a stick blender — French cafés do this to make the chocolate velvety and lightly frothed.
Ingredients: 150 g dark chocolate, 60–70% · 500 ml whole milk · 100 ml whipping cream (30%) · 1 tbsp sugar (to taste) · ½ tsp vanilla extract · 1 pinch salt
Rest briefly
Take off the heat and leave 2 minutes. It thickens a little more and the flavour settles.
Ingredients: 150 g dark chocolate, 60–70% · 500 ml whole milk · 100 ml whipping cream (30%) · 1 tbsp sugar (to taste) · ½ tsp vanilla extract · 1 pinch salt
Serve
Pour into small cups — the pan holds about 720 ml, four servings of roughly 180 ml. That is plenty, as the drink is very rich. Serve at once, before a skin forms.
Ingredients: 150 g dark chocolate, 60–70% · 500 ml whole milk · 100 ml whipping cream (30%) · 1 tbsp sugar (to taste) · ½ tsp vanilla extract · 1 pinch salt
Before you start
Thicker version
For a spoonable version increase the chocolate to 200 g, or stir a teaspoon of cornflour into the cold milk before heating. With 200 g of chocolate a serving is about 435 kcal.
With spices
Infuse the milk with a cinnamon stick, star anise, orange peel or a pinch of chilli and remove them before adding the chocolate. The aroma is clear but gentle.
Storage
It keeps 2 days in the fridge and thickens a lot. Reheat gently, stirring and loosening with milk, without boiling.
