Chocolate Caliente (Hot Chocolate)
Patricia's Cafe - by Pat McClelland 1 oz Bittersweet Chocolate (70% cocoa or more) 1 c Milk 2 tsp Sugar 1 ea clove 1 pinch Nutmeg 1 ea Egg White Orange Zests 1. Crush chocolate into small pieces. 2. Place milk, sugar, chocolate, clove and nutmeg in a small pot and bring to a boil while stirring. 3. Cook until chocolate is melted and remove from heat. 4. Whip egg white until stiff and remove clove from chocolate mixture. 5. Add some of the chocolate mixture into the egg white to temper the egg and then add back into chocolate while whipping with a whip. 6. Garnish with orange zests and serve hot. Hot chocolate originated in Mexico and spread through out the Mayan and Aztec cultures. When the Spanish came to these countries they went crazy for the drink and exposed it to the rest of the world. Of course hot chocolate here and everywhere else is quite different. This hot chocolate is the way the Chileans have their hot chocolate at 11:00 am every day. In fact, it is called Chocolate con leche para las once, which translates to hot chocolate with milk for 11:00. They like it sweet and thick. In Mexico their hot chocolate has cinnamon, which you can find Mexican chocolate in the stores so you can just heat it in a little milk. In Spain they will add cornstarch to make it so thick that it is more like a sauce then a drink. 
Lemonata Patricia's Cafe - by Pat McClelland 2 ea Lemons ¼ c Sugar 1½ c Soda Water 1. Juice the lemons, removing the seeds. 2. Add the sugar and mix until it dissolves. 3. Add to the soda water, top with ice and serve. Lemonata is Italian lemonade with a little carbonation. I like to use San Pellegrino sparkling water but you can use any type available. It is not as sweet as most lemonades so if you need to add more sugar then go for it. I like to garnish it with a little sprig of mint and a slice of lemon. In Mexico limes are used in place of the lemons but it is still called lemonata. You would want to use 3 limes to the 2 lemons. Try adding some crushed strawberries, a little grated ginger or some fresh orange juice to make it a little different. |
Masala Chai (Spiced Tea) Patricia's Cafe - by Pat McClelland ½ c Milk ½ c Water 1 tsp Black Tea 1 ea Crushed Cardamom Pod 2 ea Black Pepper Corns ½ inch Chopped Fresh Ginger 1 inch Broken Cinnamon Stick ¼ tsp Star Anise 2 ea Cloves to taste Honey 1. Place all spices and tea in a tea strainer. 2. Heat the water and milk then let the spices steep for about 10 or 15 minutes depending on how strong you like it. 3. Remove spices and add honey. 4. Pour into a cup and enjoy. Here in the US when we hear chai we think it is a spiced tea but in India chai is just sweetened tea with milk. Masala Chai is the spiced tea we are somewhat familiar with. I enjoy a cup almost every morning instead of coffee. It is a good way to get the body started because of the warming spices used. It is hard to find set recipe for Masala chai because it is all based on personal taste. However, there are 4 constants in every cup of Masala Chai. They are: Tea, Sweetener, Milk and Spices. The tea is usually a dark, strong black tea but can be a gunpowder tea or a rooibos, or a yerba mate. As for sweetener any will do but honey is most often used and always in heavy amounts. Milk is usually whole milk for it’s richness but I will use low fat because I don’t need all of the fat. Soy or rice milk will do as well. As for the spices, the ones I used are most popular but you will find nutmeg, vanilla, licorice, cocoa and almond in some versions. Oregon Chai has a strong vanilla flavor with the listed spices weaker in flavor. Just remember, when making your Masala Chai it is really a personal taste so if you don’t like one or more of the spices either go lighter or leave it out. And if you do like one of the spices go heavy on it. |
