4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
4 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
1½ tsp. cinnamon
2 eggs
3 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler.
In a separate heavy saucepan heat the milk and cream on low until hot but not bubbling. When the milk mixture is hot add 3 tablespoons of it to the chocolate and mix well. Blend in the rest of the milk mixture, the sugar, and the cinnamon.
In a small bowl beat the eggs and vanilla. Add a tablespoon of the chocolate mixture to the eggs and beat well. Slowly stir the egg mixture into the chocolate. Whisk the hot chocolate briskly in the double boiler for 3 minutes, then serve immediately.
Chef's Note: This is serious chocolate. This very rich drink is almost a dessert in of itself. It makes the perfect late night drink with cookies as well as a great finish to the meal. Don't skip any steps and throw the eggs right into the chocolate. You will have hot chocolate with boiled eggs floating in it.
“The chief pleasure in eating does not consist in costly seasoning, or exquisite flavor, but in yourself.”
Horace (65-8 B.C.)
Sometimes vanilla ice cream looks as if it has bits of chocolate in it, as if only that could make the flavor acceptable. What are those dark specks, anyway? If you thought they might be parts of vanilla beans, you're right. But they're only the flavorless residue of the bean. Companies put them in just for show, to prove that they used real beans and not artificial flavor.
