French-Style Hot Chocolate

French-Style Hot Chocolate: Step by Step

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1. Whisk the cornflour into 3 tablespoons of the cold milk until completely smooth.

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2. Warm the remaining milk, the cream, sugar and salt in a small pan over medium-low heat until steaming but not boiling.

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3. Take the pan off the heat and add the chopped chocolate. Leave it for 60 seconds without stirring so the residual heat melts it.

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4. Whisk until smooth and glossy — the mixture will thicken noticeably as the chocolate emulsifies.

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5. Return to low heat, whisk in the cornflour slurry, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, whisking constantly, until it coats the back of a spoon.

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6. Stir in the vanilla and cinnamon.

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7. Pour into small cups — this is rich enough that 150 ml is a generous serving — and top with whipped cream.

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Worth Getting Right

• Use chocolate you would eat. The drink tastes exactly like the bar you put in it.
• Never boil it. Boiling splits the emulsion and leaves a greasy film.
• For a Spanish-style chocolate a la taza, double the cornflour and serve with churros.

Swaps and Variations

• In a sauce, full-fat crème fraîche can usually take the place of the double cream; single cream is thinner and more likely to split if it boils, so keep it below a simmer.

What to Serve With It

Serve with churros for dipping · Excellent with a slice of orange · A good end to a cold-weather meal

Keeping and Reheating

Refrigerate 3 days; it will set thick. Reheat gently with a splash of milk, whisking constantly.

What's in a Serving

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.