The Art of Tasting Chocolate

SAN FRANCISCO'S SUMMERTIME DRINK: HOT CHOCOLATE

While Parisians are sipping rosé this summer and New Yorkers are knocking back iced coffee, we San Franciscans will be huddled over our favorite summertime drink: Hot Chocolate.  Whether served in a mug with a shot of bourbon or in a paper cup, there is nothing better to ward off the bone-chilling effects of San Francisco’s dense summer fog.

If you plan to be in the City in June, July or August, here are a few hot chocolate stops that you won’t want to miss:

Empirical evidence shows that the Ferry Building Marketplace has the highest ratio of gourmet hot chocolate per square foot than any other place in San Francisco, maybe even the world.  On a typical Saturday morning there are five places that you can purchase a cup of over-the-top, to-die-for, hot chocolate. Blue Bottle Coffee   has three locations where you, too, can queue up for twenty minutes for your chance to order hot chocolate made with chocolate from confectioner Michael Recchiuti .  Rumor has it that if your cup is not deemed perfect by the barrista it will be tossed away and a new one will be constructed.

 If you would rather sit while the magic of creating a perfect cup of thick hot chocolate is performed, then Boulette's Larder is the place for you. Not quite a sidewalk café in Paris but pretty darn close.  Better even. Boulette’s is more like a carefully curated culinary museum where you can eat the exhibits.  Their hot chocolate tastes as though they have melted a bar or two or three of fine dark chocolate into the best organic milk you can imagine.

If you had something more quicker in mind, then Peet’s is the place for you.  The line moves fast, so within 5 minutes you will have a perfectly delicious cup of hot chocolate made with Scharffen Berger dark chocolate.  I know someone who then heads outside to one of the benches overlooking the bay and discreetly slips a shot or two or three of Maker’s Mark into the her cup.  I doubt that you would ever tag this French Market Basket toting grand dame as a lush as she weaves her way through the aisles.

Now, if you are in Union Square there are two great choices within the same block. Crepe O Chocolat at 75 O’Farrell Street has two different hot chocolates to choose from. One is listed as ‘Homemade Hot Chocolate’ and the one that I recommend is the ‘Melted Chocolate Drink’. It might be billed as a drink but I would argue that it is just one tablespoon of hot milk short of a pudding.  A few doors down at Cafe Madeleine they start their drink with a generous spoonful of ganache - a thick concoction of chocolate and heavy cream that has been whipped together – to which they add hot milk.

Mark Twain may have complained that the coldest winter he ever spent was a summer in San Francisco but that’s only because the he didn’t know where to find a great cup of hot chocolate.

Can't get to San Francisco this summer? Then try our recipe for hot chocolate for one:

Recipe:

1 c milk

2 heaping T unsweetened cocoa

1 T sugar

pinch of salt

In a small saucepan, stir together ¼ c milk, cocoa, sugar & salt to form a smooth paste. Whisk in the remainder of the milk.  Heat over low heat until it reaches a simmer, stirring constantly.  Serve in a heated porcelain tea cup. Enjoy!

CHOCOLATE STAYS UP LATE

Chocolatiers have a lot to be happy about these days. First, the evidence continues to grow that dark chocolate helps to lower blood pressure. Secondly, the pairing of chocolate and wine/spirits has given the chocolate companies an entirely new way to market their product. Chocolate is being invited to stay up late and party with the adults. Both Hershey and Dove have spent a lot of money in the past few months in new campaigns that ask the simple question "what wine pairs well with which chocolate". Essentially they needed to find a new way to grab the attention of adults and introduce their new lines of single origin and/or high percentage cacao chocolate. They have both gone to great expense to get the information across in inserts to wine magazines, free samples and press events.

Last week I attended a press event at the Clift Hotel for Dove's New Extra Dark Chocolate and Chocolate Origins (single origin bars from Ecuador, Ghana and the Dominican Republic). I must say that they pulled out all stops to introduce their new line. Amy Sherman of Cooking with Amy and I were escorted from station to station by sommelier Julee Resendez who explained her thinking behind each of the pairings of Dove’s new chocolates with reds, whites, bubbles (Veuve Cliquot Demi-Sec) and spirits. I have to say that she did a great job. And the chocolate? I have always been a fool for the mouthfeel of Dove chocolate. There is a smoothness to Dove that I hope comes from lots of extra cocoa butter.

AMANO ARTISAN CHOCOLATE, MADE IN THE USA!

Pssst. Over here. This is just between you and me. If you have found your way to this website then I can assume that you like chocolate. Or probably love chocolate. You are familiar with the usual suspects. That is, the fine chocolate that is available at boutiques in urban areas, in your specialty food market or on-line. Names like ScharffenBerger, Guittard and Bonnat. May I add another? A small, artisan chocolate that is made in small batches right here in the United States? And that will have your friends begging for more? AMANO ARTISAN CHOCOLATE. My only disclaimer is that I know Art Pollard, Chocolatier. I am a fan of his chocolate and of his vision. His two pure chocolate bars, 70% Ocumare  and a 70% Madagascar just became available to the public. Lucky you. This is pure, uncut, suitable for mainlining with the best of friends...Well balanced acidity. The Ocumare is fruity, the Madagascar is all citrus. Hurry. With great press from places like NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO the word is out. Hurry to order his bars. He produces in small batches only and when he runs out, well, he runs out. But this is chocolate worth waiting for.