Boisson à la Branchette
In creating this recipe, I did something that risked great peril to my reputation as a hot chocolate connoisseur, yet it is exactly this kind of risk that brought about the fall of Neoclassicism through the pioneering work of Monet and his Impressionists. Here, my deep and romantic colour palette was my heavy emphasis on chocolate, and my airy pastel canvas was tarragon. A sudden suspicion overtook me late at night that tarragon’s licorice-like flavour would pair excellently with the gentle bitterness of dark chocolate but only if I reduced the chocolate content, something I have criticized others for doing. This chaos and contradiction, however, is what moves art forward. As I would discover, tarragon was my Monet’s Water Lilies.
To compose this work of hot chocolate, you will need:
30 g (1 oz) dark chocolate
100 mL (~½ cup) whole milk
50 mL (~¼ cup) cream
7 g (½ tbsp) salted butter
Two sprigs of tarragon
Sprinkling of pepper
Instead of paintbrushes, you will use:
Sieve
Food thermometer
Double boiler
Whisk
And then the artwork emerges:
Chop the chocolate into small pieces and set aside.
In a double boiler, add the cream, milk, tarragon, butter, and pepper. Over medium-low heat, gradually increase the temperature to 50 - 60°C (122 - 140°F), careful to keep the heat below 60°C. Dairy is not well-suited to any temperature higher.
Hold this temperature steady for ten minutes, carefully monitoring the heat.
Remove from the stove and cool to 45°C (113°F). Add the chocolate and whisk until fully incorporated.
Return the pot to the stove and heat to 60°C (140°F).
Filter the mixture through the sieve and into your serving cup.
Although sugar may be added to the reader’s liking, I find that this recipe may be cheapened by the sweetness of sugar, lest the subtle tarragon flavour be overpowered.
Thus this House presents a hot chocolate with a lighter impression of chocolate and a greater emphasis on herbs. I suspect, dear reader, that a new movement of hot chocolate art is forthcoming.