Drinking a Bar of Chocolate

     With spring just around the corner, I am looking forward to warmer days ahead and pulling my bicycle from the dark corners of my home's basement.  Bicycling is my favorite form of exercise in the spring, summer and fall, but during the winter months, I will head to a local health club -- occasionally -- for a workout.  And what I've realized is -- when I'm there -- I am the only person exercising while reading food magazines... the only one (Do you also find that hard to believe?).  Before I head out the door, I go through my stacks of Food & Wine, Bon Appetit and old Gourmets, picking out several to read while sitting on a stationary bike or walking on a treadmill. 
     And when I'm back at home, if I am not reading food magazines or cookbooks, I am on my computer looking for food-related websites that inspire.  One site that I've recently come across is Kayotic Kitchen in the Netherlands and found Kay's recipe for Pink Peppercorn Hot Chocolate irresistible. 

     And silly me.  I thought that since I was also giving my husband a serving of the Pink Peppercorn Hot Chocolate, I would double the recipe.  That meant I melted 14-ounces of bittersweet chocolate to stir into 3 1/3 cups of warmed milk.  After my first sip, I quickly realized that I did not want a 6-ounce cup of the hot chocolate, but a demitasse instead.  It's like drinking a bar of chocolate.  But it is so unbelievably good!  Of course, I also doubled the recipe for the Pink Peppercorn Syrup.  Next time, I will triple the amount of syrup I make, and add even more pink peppercorns to the mix.  It has a wonderfully delicious, spicy-cinnamon flavor, and I found myself pouring a lot of it into the hot chocolate, which gives it a nice little kick.  I keep both the chocolate and syrup stored in the refrigerator, and each day heat up enough for my little demitasse shot of heaven...  my little treat!

     I will send you directly to Kayotic Kitchen where Kay will walk you through the recipe...  recipe for Pink Peppercorn Hot Chocolate HERE.

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