An Excuse to Indulge: From Mexico to Deer Valley and chock-full of antioxidants, hot chocolate is a holiday delight

By Kathy Stephenson
The Salt Lake Tribune

"The train was filled with other children, all in their pajamas and nightgowns. We sang Christmas carols and ate candies with nougat centers as white as snow. We drank hot cocoa as thick and rich as melted chocolate bars. Outside, the light of towns and villages flickered in the distance as the Polar Express raced northward."
-- The Polar Express, by Chris Van Allsburg

Mexican hot chocolate, derived from an ancient Aztec drink, includes nuts and spices. The chocolate is finely chopped before being added to warm milk and whisked into a frothy brew. (Photo Illustration by Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune)

Even Santa Claus knows that wide-eyed children, young and old, enjoy a steaming cup of chocolate on Christmas Eve.

The creamy beverage satisfies three common winter wishes: a need for warmth, a full tummy and something sweet.

"I haven't met anybody who doesn't like it," says David Cowley, president of Stephen's Gourmet Cocoa, a Utah-based company that will sell more than 2 million pounds of cocoa this year.

There is another reason these days to enjoy hot chocolate -- it is healthy.

According to researchers at Cornell University's Department of Food Science and Technology, cocoa is teeming with antioxidants that are known to prevent cancer, heart disease and other health problems. The researchers in Ithaca, N.Y., led by department chairman Chang Y. Lee, found that cocoa has nearly twice the antioxidants of red wine and almost three times what is found in green tea.
"When we compared one serving of each beverage, the cocoa turned out to be the highest in antioxidant activity, and that was surprising to me," said Lee, whose findings were published earlier this month in the American Chemical Society's Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, a peer-reviewed publication.

A standard chocolate bar had even more antioxidants, but because of the high level of saturated fats, hot cocoa in moderation is clearly the healthier option, researchers said. A one-cup serving of hot cocoa has one-third of a gram of fat while a 40-gram chocolate bar has eight grams.

Which brings us to the difference between hot cocoa and hot chocolate. The terms are used interchangeably, but the two are different beverages.

Cocoa is made from a fine powder, either natural cocoa powder or Dutch-processed. The latter has been treated with alkali to reduce bitterness.
Richer, and far more decadent, is hot chocolate made by melting chocolate pieces, usually bittersweet or semi-sweet, in warm milk or cream.
Instant hot cocoa mixes, such as those sold by the Utah-based Stephens, are the most popular, since adding hot water is all that is required. But quality varies among brands depending on the ingredients.

Authentic Mexican chocolate comes in thick discs and is available in Latin American grocery stores. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune)

Cowley said Stephens Gourmet ships Dutch-processed cocoa directly from Holland for its products.

Bountiful's Sue Stahle used to savor hot cocoa, until she tasted pure Mexican hot chocolate. Now she opts for that several nights a week before bedtime.

"It's the most original form of chocolate," said Stahle, who along with husband Craig Stahle, owns and operates Salt Lake City's Supermercado de las Americas, 1179 S. Navajo St. (1360 West).

She's right. Centuries ago the Aztec Indians learned to grind cocoa beans and mix the resulting powder with water, wine and peppers. Legend has it that Aztec emperor Montezuma drank dozens of golden goblets of this thick, flavorful chocolate every day.

The Spaniards soon latched onto this Mexican beverage, adding sugar and heating it. It wasn't until it arrived in Europe, somewhere in the early 1500s, that milk was added.

Today, Mexican chocolate is made from dark or bittersweet chocolate, almonds, cinnamon and sugar; the ingredients are ground together and then pressed into disks.

Stahle says making Mexican hot chocolate from these discs isn't as quick as instant, but it is still rather simple: chop the chocolate into a fine powder, sprinkle it into warm milk and stir until melted.

Supermercado de las Americas grocery store in Salt Lake City offers an assortment of products for Mexican hot chocolate. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune)

Many Latino families also buy the Mexican chocolate to make champurrada, a mixture of chocolate, milk, masa harina and sugar. A wooden whisk, called a molinollo, is used to made the drink frothy.

In the past few weeks the Stahles said their market, probably the largest of its kind in Utah with some 21,000 square feet, has been selling about 10 cases of the Mexican chocolate a week.

Pastry chef Steve Harty, another admitted chocoholic, has taken Deer Valley Resort's hot chocolate one step further by creating a beverage so rich it is on the dessert menu at the Mariposa restaurant.

"It's dreamy, creamy," said Harty, who uses bittersweet chocolate and "kicks it up with a little cocoa powder."

The hot chocolate is served in four-ounce espresso cups along with a chocolate shortbread cookie that has a touch of cayenne pepper in it. (See recipe above.)

Harty believes a really good cup of hot chocolate, like skiing in deep, fluffy powder, is pure inspiration.

"Like your favorite candy bar melting in your mouth," he said, "it warms you through and through."

kathys@sltrib.com

Mariposa's Creamy, Dreamy Hot Chocolate

At Deer Valley's Mariposa restaurant, this hot chocolate is served in 4-ounce espresso mugs alongside a chocolate shortbread cookie that has a touch of cayenne pepper. It is so rich, it's offered on the dessert menu.

2 1/2 cups heavy cream, divided
8 ounces chopped dark bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened)
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Heat one cup (8 ounces) heavy cream to simmering. Place chopped chocolate in a bowl. Pour simmering cream over chocolate. Let sit 5 minutes to melt. Then stir gently to ensure mixture is completely smooth. Pour into a container and cool to room temperature.

Combine remaining 1 1/2 cups cream, milk and cocoa powder in a sauce pan. Heat to simmering, being careful not to burn mixture. Pour over cooled chocolate ganache mixture. Stir so that the chocolate is melted and the two mixtures are well-blended. Stir in vanilla.

Mixture can be placed in an airtight container and stored in the refrigerator for several days. To serve, heat in a double boiler and pour into espresso cups. Makes 6 to 8 servings. (This is rich so you don't need much.)

-- Steve Harty, Deer Valley Resort pastry chef

Make Ahead Hot Cocoa

2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup cocoa (Dutch-process preferred)
2 1/2 cups powdered milk
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or more to taste

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl, incorporating evenly. Place in an airtight container. Keeps indefinitely in the pantry. Makes 5 1/2 cups dry mix.

To serve, heat 4 to 6 cups water or milk. Fill mug halfway with powdered cocoa mixture. Pour in hot liquid. Stir to combine.

-- Alton Brown, The Food Network

Orange-Scented Hot Chocolate

2 cups milk
4 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 (2-by-1-inch) orange peel strips (orange part only, no pith)
1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder or instant coffee powder
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a heavy medium saucepan. Stir over low heat until chocolate melts. Increase heat and bring just to a boil, simmering often. Remove from heat and whisk until frothy. Return to heat and bring just to a boil again. Repeat heating and whisking once again. Discard orange peel. Serve immediately.

Or prepare mixture 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Before serving, bring just to a boil, remove from heat and whisk until frothy. Makes 2 servings.

-- Bon Appetit magazine, May 1992

Mexican Hot Chocolate

4 cups milk
2 to 4 ounces Mexican chocolate (1 to 2 discs), chopped
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise with a sharp knife, optional

Pour milk into a saucepan and add desired amount of chocolate. Add vanilla bean, if desired. Heat milk, stirring gently until all chocolate is dissolved. Use a wire whisk, or molinollo, to make the mixture frothy. When mixture is hot, remove vanilla bean. Makes 4 servings.

-- Sue and Craig Stahle, owners of Supermercado de las Americas