Cooking For Engineers

[Edward Warren]

When I make a hot cholcolate beverage, my preference is HOT COCOA made with whole milk and Dutch process cocoa like Droste or Valrhona. I use 1 TBS of cocoa and 1 TBS sugar to a cup of milk. I do understand the difference between hot cocoa and hot chocolate which is made with bar chocolate melted into milk or water.

The question I would like to see discussed is about boiling this mixture of
cocoa, sugar, and milk. I often see admonitions against boiling. It is
often suggested that the milk just be heated up to some point shy of
boiling. When I do this, there is a distinct milk note in the flavor of the
beverage that distracts from the cocoa. I find that boiling it for 30 to 60
seconds with the foam coming just to the top of the pot and stirring
carefully makes the beverage more chocolatey and mellow tasting.

Does anyone else have this feeling as well?

Thank you,
Edward Warren
e-warren@att.net

[Taamar]

I LIKE the milk note!

If I remember correctly, boiling breaks down the lactose (into glucose and galactose) and thus would make the finished product sweeter. Boiling will also cause a skin to start forming on the surface, though I don't know why.