Slow Like Honey

“Happiness. Simple as a glass of chocolate or tortuous as the heart. Bitter. Sweet. Alive.”- Chocolat.

One of the most enrapturing and intriguing movies I’ve ever seen is Chocolat. Playful and unique, the movie is based on the book written by Joanne Harris and stars Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp. It tells the story of a Vianne, a young mother who travels from town to town with her daughter Anouk, introducing her special and forbidden chocolate treats to the the villagers of a sleepy French village, winning them over with visions of hot chocolate, truffles, and everything chocolate related.

The town becomes enraptured with Vianne and her chocolate goodies. Her store revolutionizes the town bringing life and vivacity to the villagers, much to the dismay of the strict mayor.

Thanks to Vianne, instead of looking at chocolate as a sinful dessert, the townsfolk start to see chocolate as a crucial and enjoyable part of daily life. The idea that eating should be a pleasurable activity is one I truly belive in. Depriving oneself of the joy of chocolate, or any sweet treat, is no way to live.

When I was in Paris two years ago, I happened upon the best hot chocolate of my life. Thick and creamy, it was practically like chocolate crack. Sitting on a bench in front of th Louvre drinking my steaming chocolate, I had never been happier. Since then, I’d been on a search to replicate the Parisian’s type in texture and consistency but none compared.

Until now. On that note, I bring to you Orangette’s decadent hot chocolate. Rich and flavorful, this cocoa will bring you to your knees. After a long day of running around, meeting deadlines, or studying for exams, take the time out to sit and relax with a big cuppa of this stuff. But beware, this stuff is extremely addicting, and will have you groaning in pleasure. You might be tempted to drink the whole batch, but who’s watching?

Trust me, the flavors from the bittersweet chocolate melted into the warm milk will have you coming back for more. To balance out the strong chocolate, I added some whipped cream, and sat down to watch Lost which is getting ridiculous.

“We can’t go ’round measuring our goodness by what we don’t do, by what we deny ourselves, what we resist and who we exclude… we’ve go to measure goodness by what we embrace, what we create, and who we include. ” – Chocolat.

There is motto to live by. I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Hot Chocolate
from Molly at Orangette

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups whole milk
2 ½ Tbsp. water
2 ½ Tbsp. granulated sugar
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, water, and sugar. Place over medium heat and whisk occasionally until the sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture just to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the chocolate. At this point, blend the mixture. If you have an immersion blender, you can do this directly in the saucepan; if not, you’ll need to transfer it to a traditional blender. Either way, blend for 1 minute (on high speed, if using a traditional blender – and take care(!), as hot liquids expand when blended). The finished mixture should be very smooth and frothy.

Serve immediately.