So it’s been a long time since my last post. (Although life can sometimes get in the way of blogging) I've discovered some great inspiration over the past few months. One such inspiration is the amazing soul of singer Corinne Bailey Rae.
I’ve been a fan of hers for a while, but it wasn’t until I recently bought her record, The Love EP that I’ve come to appreciate the depth of her talent.
Corinne’s voice is tender, ethereal, soulful.
In a way her voice reminds me of Sam Cooke’s, smooth like silk yet as deep as the ocean. Beneath the beauty there are layers of sadness, hope, and yearning.
In recent years she has experienced personal tragedy. You can sense that pain as she imbues each song with emotion. Her EP is a collection of love song covers, iconic songs like Paul McCartneys’ "My Love" and Bob Marley’s "Is This Love." These songs are tinged with melancholy and are hauntingly beautiful. Her cover of "Que Sera Sera" is a revelation.
It’s inspiring when a singer is able to reveal themselves through someone else’s song and make it there own. When an artist can shade beauty with their own vulnerability.
In the same way we can add our own emotions and experiences to our cooking. Chefs always say you can taste the love in someone’s food, or taste the sadness. (I think that’s why we can cook the same dish on two different days and it can come out completely different.)
While I was listening to her EP I couldn't help but think of chocolate (and not the sugary milk chocolate kind) but the real stuff. People put their heart and soul into making chocolate, infusing it with their own flavor, their own life experience. I love the idea of people from all over the world taking a raw product, tasting the land where it came from and adding their own story to it.
So I decided to make a dark hot chocolate.
I had heard of a unique dark hot chocolate infused with rose petals. I decided to add some cinnamon and chiles for heat. It ended up tasting rich, silky, complex, slightly bitter… intoxicating. Like the best singers, it has many layers and tells many stories all at once.
love-roots pairing
drink- an intoxicating dark hot chocolate
infuse it- with your own emotion
listen- to a melancholy love song
take the time- to taste all the layers
Imbued Hot Chocolate
2½ c Whole Milk
2 c Heavy Cream
¼ oz Dried Rosebuds
3 ea Cinnamon Sticks
4 ea Small Dried Arbol Chiles, cracked in half
1 ea Vanilla Bean, split lengthwise
1 tbs Sugar in the Raw
8 oz 70% Dark Chocolate (Guanaja or Single Origin if possible), coarsely chopped
Combine milk, heavy cream, rosebuds, cinnamon sticks, chiles, and vanilla bean in a saucepan over medium heat to just below the simmering point. Lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and let steep for another 10 minutes and strain. Transfer back into the saucepan. Gently heat and add coarsely chopped chocolate and sugar. Whisk until the chocolate is melted. Taste for sweetness and add a little bit more sugar if you like it sweeter.
Carefully spoon about 1/3 of the mixture into a blender. Hold a towel over the lid and blend for about a minute or until frothy. Carefully ladle the hot chocolate from the saucepan into mugs about 2/3 of the way up and top with the mixture from the blender. Put a record on and serve with French macaroons or biscotti. Serves 4-6.
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