Chocolate lends itself to subtle flavor enhancements. With a little creative culinary skill you can turn the ordinary into extraordinary.

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My favorite recipe for a rich drinking chocolate always starts with a quality chocolate and 2% milk in equal portions (dry volume for the chocolate-before melting and liquid volume for the milk).
I highly recommend the Felchlin Single Bean Grand Cru Maracaibo 65%.
That forms the base for your chocolate beverage, then your culinary creativity takes over.

This recipe was given to me by NYC pastry chef, Nancy Olsen, during the taping of a Taste This! cooking show at Django's in Manhattan.

Begin with your melted chocolate and milk base.
Add:

• 2 Dried or roasted sweet red chili pepper-scrape the inside of the pepper into the mixture (avoid the seeds if you want a milder drink, include them if you like it HOT).
• Scrape one whole vanilla bean.
• Toasted almonds.
• Fresh crushed cinnamon to taste.

Infuse for about 20 min over a slow heat taking care not to scorch the chocolate and milk mixture. After the ingredients have had a chance to blend, strain the chocolate to remove the pulp, seeds and nuts and serve hot.

Thanks Nancy,
Enjoy!