Tag: Hot Chocolate

Polar Express Hot Chocolate with Gingerbread Marshmallows

Posted December 5, 2019 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes, Holidays / 0 Comments

 


In just a few short weeks, we’ll come to the end of not just another year, but a whole decade.
It’s crazy to think how much things change in that amount of time. A decade ago I was 21, halfway through college, and working 3 jobs to pay tuition. I was SUPER busy. Now I’m married with 2 kids, a mortgage, and a food blog. Last year I achieved one of my life goals: getting a book published by the time I turned 30 (though I’ll admit when I first set that goal, I thought I’d be writing fiction instead of cookbooks!). And I’ve got another book coming out next September, so…still super busy. I guess things don’t change THAT much. 😆

These blessings have definitely enriched my life, but they’ve brought a lot of chaos too, which is why I want to close out 2019 with a cozy, soul-nurturing recipe–something to prepare me for Christmas and fortify me for a new decade. This got me thinking about “The Polar Express,” which I’ve wanted to feature on the blog for ages. The kids in the book drink hot chocolate on the train on their way to the North Pole, and NOTHING says “cozy and soul-nuturing” like hot chocolate! ^.^

For my inspiration, I used a hot chocolate I once drank a fancy brunch buffet at Drury Lane Theater in Oak Brook Terrace. Folks, it was downright CHUGGABLE. It was sweet but not too sweet, and even though the chocolate flavor was rich, it was more reminiscent of milk chocolate instead of the dark, intense chocolate flavor I usually shoot for with homemade hot chocolate. It was kid-friendly without compromising quality, and that hit all the right notes for me.

Since the book specifically mentions hot chocolate and not hot cocoa, I used chopped up chocolate bars to make it authentic (I recently learned that “hot chocolate” has actual melted chocolate in it while “hot cocoa” uses cocoa powder. The more you know!). I also dialed back the darkness of the chocolate. Most homemade versions call for 70% dark chocolate or darker, but I kept it at 60% to achieve the mellow, approachable quality I wanted. I kept my flavors simple too: just sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. I didn’t use any coffee or cayenne to intensify the chocolate flavor since we’re keeping this kid-friendly, but you can certainly experiment with them if you’re making this for adults (I’d use coffee or cayenne but not both).

The book doesn’t mention marshmallows, but I just finished a marshmallow recipe for my new cookbook and wanted to experiment with unique flavorings. I threw in some gingerbread spices and voilà–the perfect pairing!

NOTE: The marshmallows need to set overnight.

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Willy Wonka’s Hot Chocolate with Lavender Whipped Cream

Posted December 6, 2018 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 5 Comments

 

 

First, let’s just be real: hot chocolate is what fresh whipped cream was invented for. It’s the perfect fresh, bright, cool companion to a rich and steamy chocolate drink. So when I decided I was going to do an all-dessert, all-chocolate menu for my new book of the month—Charlie and the Chocolate Factory—I knew I wanted my tribute to Willy Wonka’s hot chocolate river to feature fresh whipped cream.

Not just ANY whipped cream, though. This is Wonka we’re talking about. It needed some pizzazz, something creative and fun to set it apart from all the other whipped creams. Then I remembered Storeroom #54, which the children and their guardians pass during their tour of Wonka’s factory. It is labeled “ALL THE CREAMS” and lists several strange creams, including violet cream. I didn’t have any violet extract, but I DID have lavender buds, which got my brain ticking. I learned while making lavender lemon eclairs that lavender steeps beautifully in cream, so I used that technique to created a lavender whipped cream that had a distinctive but not overpowering flavor. After all, I wanted the hot chocolate to be the star of the show. On a whim, I added a little purple food coloring for whimsy…since you can never have too much whimsy in a Wonka recipe. 😉

The finished cream went on top of a homemade hot chocolate inspired by two of my favorites: the Witch’s Hot Chocolate from my Narnia menu and the Hundred Acre Hot Chocolate from my cookbook. I loved the way the rich, intense chocolate flavor paired with the floral whipped cream. So much so, in fact, that I started wondering what other flavors would make awesome infused creams (Earl Grey! Cinnamon! Mint!). I may just have to start experimenting!

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A Toast to National Book Lovers’ Day: 7 Literary Drinks

Posted August 8, 2017 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Holidays / 0 Comments

 

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Tomorrow is National Book Lovers’ Day, so to celebrate I thought it would be fun to share a special roundup of book-themed drinks. 🙂

Why drinks, you ask? Well, I figured drink recipes are something quick and easy you can throw together on a whim, which is important for a holiday like this (one that lands on a weekday and is the sort that some people don’t hear about until the last minute). After all, just because you haven’t got time to run to the store doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be able to toast your love of books, right? 😉

The recipes listed here include cocktails, nonalcoholic punch, hot chocolate, and even Earl Grey lattes. So we’ve got something for everyone—whether you wanna party it up with an Edgar Allan Poe cocktail or get cozy with some of the White Witch’s hot chocolate.

Cheers, and happy Book Lovers’ Day! 🙂

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My Favorite Foods to Eat While Reading (Hint: Soup & Pasta Not So Much)

Posted May 31, 2016 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Uncategorized / 7 Comments

 

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I’ll eat just about anything while reading. We all know there are certain high risk foods when it comes to books—passing on the spaghetti is wise when skimming your leather-bound Melville—but I tend to ignore the warnings. I’ve been known to chow down on chocolate, pizza, and even ice cream ON THE CONE while flipping through a new book. Cuz I’m hardcore.

But there are other foods that just beg for a book. I’m talking about the kind that actually give you a craving to read. The foods below are ones that, for me, just make the act of reading complete. Prepare to start jonesing for good food and good books!

 

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Baby, It’s Cold Outside…Let’s Pick a New Book to Read!

Posted February 1, 2015 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Hints / 0 Comments

The snow started just before I went to bed last night. Though we’ve been expecting a snowstorm, I figured it would do most of its damage during the night, and before drifting off I made a vague mental note to clear off my car in the morning. Eight hours later, the Mister and I woke up to find not only eight inches of snow but that the storm was MUCH STRONGER…and it still is.

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The Witch’s Hot Chocolate

Posted January 29, 2015 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 10 Comments


Yay for bonus recipes! Since January has an extra week in it, we’re finishing up our Narnia menu with a fifth recipe: the White Witch’s hot chocolate, a companion drink to the Turkish delight she presents to Edmund in her sledge. Technically, we don’t know what the Witch gave Edmund to drink, only that it was “very sweet and foamy and creamy, and warmed him right down to his toes.”  This homemade hot chocolate recipe developed by Martina at Eat Your Kimchi fits that description to a T.

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