Gothamist: Prepping the Pantry, Or, How To Eat Well When You're Snowed In

jim schneider

Fri, 17 Nov 2006 19:11:58 -0500

Go to www.ChocolatVitale.com, by far even more decadent hot choclate than Marie Belle. I tried it at a chcolate party and have been hooked ever since!

L'Emmerdeur

Thu, 27 Jan 2005 12:22:38 -0500

From kitchenwindow.com: "To accommodate the European palate, the chocolate was served hot and sweetened. The Spanish successfully protected their discovery for almost a century before it began to spread across Europe. It was around 1700 that the English further tweaked the recipe and added milk to the beverage creating what we know today as hot chocolate." From whatscookingamerica.net: "The original hot cocoa recipe was a mixture of ground cocoa beans, water, wine, and peppers. It didn't take long for Spaniards to begin heating the mixture and sweetening it with sugar. After being introduced in England, milk was added to the after dinner treat." Celine, please get your facts straight.

Allison Bojarski

Thu, 27 Jan 2005 09:38:17 -0500

Celine, when I've had hot chocolate in various cities in Europe, it was made with water. I've also had it prepped that way at New York chocolate shops such as Jacques Torres Chocolate Factory and Chocolate Bar, to delicious effect. Of course, throughout Europe some people make it with milk, too (or a mix of milk and water.) According to my Larousse Gastronomique, "drinking chocolate" can be made with water, milk, or a combination of the two. When I referred to the with-water type as European-style, I meant that in contrast to America, where it's ALWAYS prepared with milk. In addition, if you look at my post, you'll see I linked to more than just Mariebelle for hot chocolate sources in NYC. Further, in my researching of the subject over the past couple of years, I've read many articles (both online and off) on the subject matter, and so I do believe that I have my facts straight.

celine

Wed, 26 Jan 2005 18:57:34 -0500

I agree with A. Putting milk is an old European practice - the French and the Spaniards do it. Please get your facts straight. There are so many other sources for hot chocolate information beyond the Mariebelle website.

Allison Bojarski

Wed, 26 Jan 2005 16:44:33 -0500

A, don't knock it til you've tried it. Like I said in the post, with water is the European style. With milk is the American style. I like both. Part of why I was suggesting the European style was that you wouldn't have to have milk on hand to make it. That you could just stock your pantry with the either a bar of chocolate to chop up yourself or one of these hot chocolate mixes from a place like Mariebelle. And believe me, the European-style hot chocolate does not taste yucky. You just have to use good-quality chocolate and the right proportions (1-to-1) of boiling water to chocolate. It's delish. Not only that, there's the added bonus of no dairy for those who are vegan or otherwise dairy-restricted. Plus, all the health studies of chocolate say it's got to be chocolate without milk to have any beneficial antioxidant effect. (I don't eat chocolate because it's healthy, but if it can be healthy, then that's the icing on the cake, pardon the pun.)

A

Wed, 26 Jan 2005 15:22:22 -0500

Yuck! Don't put good chocolate in water! Heat up some milk (preferably whole milk) and melt shaved or finely minced dark chocolate into that. One type that I find works very well: Bakers Unsweetened Baking Chocolate. Add sugar to taste after the chocolate is melted into the milk and looks homogenous.

meredith

Wed, 26 Jan 2005 13:58:33 -0500

I LOVE McCann's. Try it with your favorite jam or preserves swirled in, too.

Cheng-Jih Chen

Wed, 26 Jan 2005 13:51:29 -0500

For steel-cut oats, you can use a rice cooker if you have one on hand, which takes away any hassle involved with cooking. You need less water with the rice cooker, so you may need to play with your ratios. Agreed on the bulk steel-cut oats from various health food stores and co-ops. I recall Fairway's health food section selling it for around $0.80/lb, give or take a dime.

hijiki

Wed, 26 Jan 2005 13:10:06 -0500

once the mccain's runs out, you can refill the can with bulk steel-cut oats at natural food shops or co-ops (park slope food co-op sells em crazy cheap). you save a LOT of money and some waste... not that anyone would actually throw away a mccain's can.

Max

Wed, 26 Jan 2005 12:29:20 -0500

Ha- made up a pot of McCann's on Saturday morning, added some chopped up dried fruit for a little something extra. Yummmm- well worth the extra time.

Frank

Wed, 26 Jan 2005 12:23:21 -0500

Agreed on the McCann's. We also keep Old Wessex Ltd oats on hand; although they've been rolled, they still have a lot of flavor to them. And for an added treat, try steaming your rolled oats. Two years ago, Cook's Illustrated recommended it, and this is how I adapted it (leading to less waste): Fill a pot (2 quarts would be fine) with water, about half way up. Bring the water to a boil, and then dump in your rolled oats. Let it boil for two minutes. After the 2 minutes is up, pour the oatmeal into a colander, but reserve just a bit of the hot liquid, and return the liquid to the pot. transfer the oats to a vegetable steamer, and put the steamer into the pot. (You don't want so much water in that pot that it will come into the steamer.) Bring the water back to the boil (this happens very quickly). Put a lid on it, turn off the heat, and wait ten minutes. In Cook's Illustrated, they have you start with the steamer in the water, and have you lift the steamer out of the boiling water after the two minutes are up. But I've found that once you pour the oats into the boiling water, many of them will sneak out of the steamer and into the boiling water. So you have a lot left behind in the boiling water anyway. And since it's not that easy to lift a steamer basket out of boiling water, I think it makes sense to dispense with the steamer in the early step.

Jen

Wed, 26 Jan 2005 11:31:01 -0500

I love McCann's oatmeal. The problem is that they taste better when you've soaked them overnight, and I always want them spur of the moment. Another essential of a well-stocked pantry, or in my case, random corners in cabinets: Chocolate chips and peanut butter. They don't have to be eaten in concert, but you can.