Good Start 2015 and Chocolate Chaud A l'Ancienne

Dan and I had a lovely day.  We slept until almost 7 am - Scotty, still in our care, barked at us from the bottom of the stairs - it was dark yet and I had to let him out in the bitter cold and stay with him while he did his business.  No problem, because we were going to warm ourselves with cups of Chocolate Chaud - hot chocolate just like we had last week in Paris.  I keep thinking about it so we decided to start the New Year and this holiday with it and a full breakfast.

I made the pancake batter - 100% whole wheat pancakes, and the hot chocolate and Dan did the rest - fried eggs, bacon and the grilling of the pancakes.  Here is the recipe for authentic French hot chocolate from the chocolate shop Un Dimanche a Paris.  This is so rich they serve it in very small cups.  I'll give another recipe after from pastry chef American Living in Paris David Lebovitz for a version slightly less powerful but very good.

Chocolate Chaud (Un Dimanche a Paris)
1 1/2 cups (12 oz) whole milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
6 oz. chopped 60 - 64% bittersweet chocolate (don't use Hersheys or chocolate chips - use good bar chocolate and chop it up a bit - the chocolate quality is critical)
tiny splash of vanilla

Put the liquid ingredients in a small sauce pan and bring just to a boil over med low heat.  Pour in the chopped chocolate and whisk until the chocolate completely melts and is blended.  Bring back to the just starting to boil stage stirring constantly.  The longer you allow it to simmer (steaming with bubbling around the edges, not a rolling boil or it's history), the thicker it will be.  Serve immediately with unsweetened real whipped cream if desired.  Some people (like Dan) add a little sugar to it after.

Chocolate Chaud (David Lebovitz - from his blog)
2 cups whole milk
5 oz. bittersweet best quality finely chopped bar chocolate
optional 2 T light brown sugar

Same cooking directions.

Both of these recipes are even improved when allowed to sit a few hours (chilled) and then rewarmed.  That's how you get them in the restaurants.  David suggests a few flecks of fleur de sel, good sea salt on top.  I have yet to try that but it sounds divine.  You can also freeze hot chocolate and rewarm.  I've done that and it was fabulous rewarmed.

Just as good as Paris!  

After breakfast, we took Scotty on a long walk through the golf course - I love the course in the winter; it's deserted, pretty and green, like having a park all to ourselves right in the back yard.  We then put Scotty in the house and continued on to the ocean for another bout of walking.  After, Dan worked on his year end journal wrap up and I spackled some nail holes in different rooms from the constant moving of pictures around.  The spackle quickly dried so I hauled several cans of paint up from the basement and touched up the walls where I spackled.  I love to get little stuff like that done - I've said before that I can't stand scuffs, dents, dings, chipped/worn paint, or holes.  It doesn't take long at all and the rooms/paint continue fresh as a result.  

In the afternoon, still full from breakfast, we forewent any lunch and went to see the movie Into the Woods.  We liked it but we didn't love it.  Then Chinese takeout for dinner.  Kim Lai of Portsmouth - really good!  Better than the place we've been going to in North Hampton.

Have you ever gone to take a picture  of something with your phone and you accidentally hit the button that turns the screen around?  For real.  I was leaning in to take a picture of Scotty looking so regal with his paws crossed in a big chair in the living room and this snapped first.  I'm smiling at him (and he can't see that - he's blind!) - I take the picture quickly before he moves and it's me!  And it's all nose!  Well, Happy New Year  to you I say then.

Here's the regal Scotty picture!