Café con choco

Serves: 6-8
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Chilling time: 1-2 hours

Frédéric Bau, founder of the École du Grand Chocolat Valrhona, chooses one of his favourite recipes for the budding chocolatier.

Ingredients

• 3½ oz (100g) dark chocolate, 70 per cent cocoa
• 1½ oz (40g) milk chocolate, 40 per cent cocoa
• 2 cups (500ml) whole milk
• 1¼ cups (300ml) espresso coffee
• Ice cubes

Directions

1Chop the dark and milk chocolate and melt it slowly in a bain-marie or in the microwave oven (on “defrost” or at 500W maximum, stirring from time to time).

2Bring the milk to the boil. Gradually pour one-third of the boiling liquid over the melted chocolate. Using a flexible spatula, mix in energetically, drawing small circles to create an elastic, shiny “kernel”. Incorporate the second third of the liquid, using the same procedure. Repeat with the last third. Strain through a chinois and chill.

3When the chocolate is cold, prepare the espresso coffee and pour it into a shaker. Add ice cubes, cool, and shake the coffee. Pour the cold chocolate into the shaker and shake again. To serve, add ice cubes to the glasses.

CHEF’S TIP

You can drink this in summer just as you can in winter, at breakfast or at teatime. It’s a delicious alternative to iced milk coffee.

This comes courtesy of Taste of France Issue Two. For more great recipes, food news and interviews with top chefs, buy your copy here!

Lead photo credit : Clos de Vougeot covered in Snow, Burgundy, France.