Hot Chocolate — Christmas Brunch

Some days are better than others, especially this time of year.  Some days you wake up and spring out of bed with a smile on your face, just knowing that it will be a good day.  But then you get into your car and spend hours battling the barrage of angry shoppers, not only in stores but also on the roads and in parking lots.  After following decorum and waiting patiently for a parking spot and then having your space stolen not once, not twice, but three times and then waiting in four different lines for over an hour each only to find out that two of the items you were looking for were sold out and may or may not be in stock within the next two weeks, you are over the whole shopping thing and ready to give “I owe yous” as gifts.  At the end of the day, you go home tired, hungry, and feeling defeated, wondering how a day that started off so beautifully ended up like that.  Until you make this hot chocolate.  And all is once again right in the world.  Yes, it is magic hot chocolate like that.

Of course, this hot chocolate is just as magical in the morning as it is at night, and it makes a lovely addition to Christmas Brunch.  And as an aside, if you add about three to four ounces more chocolate, pour it into individual serving bowls, and refrigerate, you will end up with beautiful hot chocolate pudding (no thickener needed!).Hot Chocolate

(Yield:  2-4 servings)

4 oz good quality semisweet couture chocolate (not chocolate chips) (lol, oops, meant couverture chocolate…guess I had couture on the mind ;) )

2 c whole milk (you can substitute cream, low-fat, or fat-free milk as desired)

1-2 TB sugar (more or less to taste)

Small pinch kosher salt

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat; bring up to a simmer (whisking occasionally), then turn heat down and simmer gently 2-3 minutes (it will thicken as it simmers).  Serve hot.

If You Like Yours Frothy:  Use an immersion blender or carefully pour the hot chocolate into a blender and process until frothy.