Enjoy Hot Chocolate the Mayan Way!
By: Sarah Swistak
Updated: February 14, 2013
Chef Anne Quinn Corr stopped by the studio to make Hot Chocolate the Mayan way.
Follow her recipe below!
Hot Chocolate, Mayan Tradition
(Makes about a quart)
For the chili puree:
3 ancho chiles
1 cup boiling water
For the cream base:
1cup heavy cream
one inch piece of vanilla bean
2 inch piece of cinnamon stick
8 anise seeds
8 dried lavender buds
1 tablespoon of the ancho chile puree
8 roasted almonds, ground in a mortar and pestle or finely chopped
For the ganache:
Strained heavy cream
One half cup milk chocolate chips, best quality, pure chocolate
One half cup semisweet chocolate chips, best quality, pure chocolate
One fourth cup of freshly brewed espresso
At serving time:
2 or 3 cups of milk
one half cup heavy cream, whipped
sprinkling of ground chiles, optional
For the chile puree:
Wipe the chile pods with a damp cloth and remove the stem and seeds. Toast the ancho chiles (available at Houts) in a dry saut pan for a few minutes, stirring constantly. Place them in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow to stand for 30 minutes or so. When the chiles are soft, remove them from the water with a slotted spoon and reserve the soaking water. Place the chiles in a blender and add a small amount of the cooking water until you have a chile paste. You will have more ancho paste than you need for the recipe, but it can be stored in the refrigerator for another use.
For the cream base:
Place the heavy cream in a small nonreactive saucepan. Add the vanilla bean , cinnamon stick, anise seeds, lavender buds, 1 tablespoon of the chile paste and the ground almonds. Scald the cream and then reduce to a simmer for about 20 minutes. When the cream tastes significantly infused with the flavorings, strain the mixture to remove the solids.
For the ganache:
Return the strained cream to the saucepan and add both the chocolates, whisking the mixture until smooth. Whisk in the espresso. The mixture can be made ahead and refrigerated until serving time. At serving time, heat the chocolate ganache base in a heavy saucepan, whisking continually, until the mixture is smooth. Heat the milk in the microwave or in the stovetop until it is scalded. Add the scalded milk to the ganache base and continue to whisk until serving time.
Serve the hot chocolate mixture in chocolate cups or fine china cups. Top with a dollop of heavy cream and dust with chile powder, if desired.



