mexican chocolate
The chocolate drink revered by the Aztecs little resembled what we think of as hot chocolate today. In fact, the beverage lived up to its name and was anything but sweet. To counter bitterness, the Aztecs commonly blended roasted cacao bean paste with honey, vanilla, chili peppers, anise seed and cinnamon – a far cry from miniature marshmallows.
Mexican chocolate, introduced to Europe by the Spanish, still consists of some of these ingredients with an emphasis on
chili pepper,
cinnamon
and sugar. Unlike other types of chocolate, this variety is used for cooking, not nibbling.
It's a key ingredient in mole, a thick chocolate sauce built on various types of chili peppers and blended with other flavorings, such as
cloves,
cumin,
black pepper,
garlic and
anise.
"I've got this thing for spicy stuff. Now, if you give me hot chocolate with chili pepper, a book and a bubble bath, I'm a happy girl."
—Shiloh Walker






flavor-infused chocolate
A few herbs and spices can be added directly to melted chocolate and molded or made into bark, such as
sea salt,
whole lavender flowers
and
ground or
flaked chili pepper and
pink peppercorns. Use these ingredients sparingly, however, or they may overpower the flavor of the chocolate.
Most other herbs and spices are more suited to the infusion method, which is very simple to do.
To make an infusion, combine 3 cups of white, milk or dark chocolate with one cup of butter in the top of a double boiler and gently melt, stirring often. Add your botanicals of choice, reduce the heat to the lowest setting (do not allow to boil), and infuse for an hour before straining. Mold or prepare the reserved infused chocolate as bark. Cool completely before serving.





