“Because the best gift in life, is just having someone to drink hot chocolate with”
― Tessa Shaffer, Heaven Has No Regrets ―
Hello there, coffee-and-beverages lovers!
Do you eyeball your recipes?
This is an interesting skill that many grandmas and mothers have. However, when it comes to men, you are actually really good at following the recipe. There comes a time when you can break free from the paper and numbers and start doing stuff by yourself.
I've said before that I never learned to make stuff from grandma. Yes, she cooked with love, but I think her idea of making food was some sort of slavery. That's a kind of thought that has been carried on by my mother. It isn't surprising, they are related. Having the chance of making some chocolate a few weeks ago, I was pondering about this idea.
There's a connection between making this beverage and my grandmother. She never let me do anything in her kitchen. Let alone watch her cook. But I picked up some of the gist of making a good cup of chocolate watching from a short distance of the kitchen.
The idea is simple: Get milk in a pan. Heat it up. Add cacao powder. The more you add, the darker your chocolate. Add vanilla and spices to your taste. Some spoons of sugar. A pinch of salt. Stir it up. Prepare a slurry. This step is out of the usual. Grandma added the corn starch without making this slurry. I don't know how she managed to prevent it from clumping. I make the slurry. It makes it easy. It is just cold water with some corn starch. Everything is eyeballed. There are no measurements. When you feel your ancestors tell you, 'it's enough', you stop adding something.
The rest of the work is stirring the mix up until it thickens. You should taste it to adjust the sweetness level. Eyeballing is cool, but it isn't an exact science.
You end up with a nice cup of hot chocolate. Perfect thing for a rainy day. And it's amazing paired up with almost anything. I like to think, it's my grandmother who is usually telling me how much to add in this recipe. It would make sense. But it is just how I feel connected to her through cooking now that she isn't around anymore. Just in the same way I feel connected to my grandfather when I get to eat or drink something I know he'd love to have.
It's funny how smells and tastes can connect us with our memories. It's also a wonderful thing. Heartwarming, sweet, a touch of bitterness, a pause and a sip. Just like a nice cup of hot chocolate.
Photos 📷: Redmi Note 13
Thumbnail 🖼️: Canva.
Editing 🎬: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.
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