Start by warming your dairy in a small saucepan on low. While many creators do love using cream, that may feel a bit too heavy to some. Opt for half and half, which is half cream and half milk, or stick to Chef Romano’s ratio. For a fun twist, you can also add a dash of vanilla, cinnamon, or espresso powder to the warming dairy. Those who follow a plant-based diet can also swap in vegan creamer and non-dairy milks to recreate the experience. Romano recommends oat milk, particularly the barista versions which typically have a high fat content, “with the richness and smooth texture needed for a hot cocoa,” he says. While the dairy is warming, add the chocolate to a heatproof bowl and break it into small pieces. Following the one, two, three, ratio, if you’re using ½ cup cream, you’ll want one cup of chocolate and 1 ½ cups of milk. Chocolate with a high cocoa percentage (over 50 percent) works well for this, and the higher quality your chocolate, the richer the French-style hot chocolate will be. A more expensive bar is worth the splurge for this recipe, and goes farther than you may expect. Romano recommends using Valrhona chocolate. “It is very high quality, so you can use less of it to get the same punch,” he says. “They also have a large variety of chocolate available, so you can really dial in a nice balance of milk and dark.” If you want to play around with the recipe, Romano suggests trying the brand’s caramelized milk chocolate, called Caramelia, that is “delicious in a hot cocoa with subtle undertones of caramel,” he describes. Once the dairy is at a gentle simmer, pour it over your chocolate, then whisk it to melt and emulsify completely. The best way to melt your chocolate is in a bowl with your cream and milk. I like to get the milk and cream hot first with any other ingredients you want to add (vanilla, cinnamon, espresso etc.) Then, pour the warm dairy over your chocolate and whisk it to melt and emulsify completely. Transfer to a mug and sip immediately, or top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Voila!
