Hot Spiced Mexican Hot Chocolate With Ice Cream Dusted With Chili Powder Food

SPICY HOT CHOCOLATE

Steps:

• In a medium pot, whisk together chocolate, cocoa, sugar and chile. Place pan over medium-low heat and whisk until chocolate begins to melt. Slowly whisk in milk, then cream. Drop in cinnamon stick. Bring to a simmer.
• Remove pot from heat. Cover pot tightly and steep 1 hour. Whisk in vanilla and taste for sweetness, adding more sugar if you like. Warm over low heat before straining and serving hot, with marshmallows or whipped cream if desired.

VENEZUELAN SPICED HOT CHOCOLATE

Steps:

• Combine milk with spices and sugar in large heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar, until milk just starts to bubble around the edges (scalding). Lower heat and cook 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to steep 10 additional minutes, then strain into another large heavy pot. Heat gently, then add chocolate and rum. Whisk briskly 5 minutes over low flame until chocolate is completely melted.

EASY HOT SPICED MEXICAN HOT CHOCOLATE

Steps:

• Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Split the vanilla bean and add to the boiling water. Add sugar, cinnamon, espresso, and a pinch of salt. Simmer for 1 minute and add the bittersweet chocolate. Whisk until it gets thick. Add milk and simmer 1 minute.
• Serve immediately with sprinkling of chili powder on top, and you can add a dollop of vanilla ice cream if you wish.

SPICY MEXICAN CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Slice the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds (do not discard), set aside.
• Roughly chop the chocolate and melt in a medium sauce pan together with milk and cream (over medium heat). After the chocolate has melted, whisk in the cocoa powder, avoiding clumps. Add the vanilla bean and seeds. Bring the mix to just under a boil (150° on a candy thermometer), stirring frequently. Remove from heat and let the mix steep, covered, for 30 minutes to an hour.
• Remove the vanilla bean. Reheat mix over moderate heat until hot (150 degrees), stirring frequently.
• Whisk the eggs, sugar and salt together in a small bowl.
• Temporarily remove the pan from the heat. Add 1/2 cup hot cream mixture to the eggs/sugar in a slow stream, whisking constantly. Whisk the egg/cream mix back into the saucepan and return to medium-low heat, STIRRING CONSTANTLY until a candy thermometer reads 170 degrees (do not let it boil).
• In a medium to large bowl (that cream mixture will be chilled in) combine the cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Pour a small amount of the chocolate cream through a strainer into the bowl and whisk to combine, avoiding clumps. Pour the remaining chocolate cream mixture through the strainer and whisk to combine.
• Cool completely in the refrigerator (at least 4 hours). Freeze in an ice cream maker. Transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden.
• Notes: DO NOT add more than 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper. The flavor intensifies as it freezes in the ice cream maker. If you don't have 1/8 tsp, use 1/4 tsp and remove half the cayenne.
• Notes: To chill more quickly, place the final mixture in an ice and cold-water bath for 30 minutes (a larger bowl for the ice water, a smaller bowl filled with the cream mixture that will sit in the "bath"). Stir frequently.