Chocolate of the Enlightenment (salon hot chocolate)
A thick hot chocolate, barely sweetened, scented with cinnamon and a hint of vanilla, beaten with a molinillo until covered with foam. Served steaming in a porcelain cup.
A thick hot chocolate, barely sweetened, scented with cinnamon and a hint of vanilla, beaten with a molinillo until covered with foam. Served steaming in a porcelain cup.
I am sometimes reproached for my sobriety; so be it, but leave me my morning chocolate! The salon attendant beats it with the molinillo until a fine froth rises, and that is the hour when the mind awakens better than at any other. I have heard debates on the laws and customs of nations, steaming cup in hand; believe me, many great thoughts were born at the edge of a chocolate cup.
- •Cocoa paste in tablet (from the Americas) — a piece (base)
- •Water or milk — a cup (liquid)
- •Sugar — to taste (sweetness)
- •Cinnamon — a pinch (spice)
- •Vanilla pod — a tip (flavor)
Chocolate of the Enlightenment (salon hot chocolate)
A thick hot chocolate, barely sweetened, scented with cinnamon and a hint of vanilla, beaten with a molinillo until covered with foam. Served steaming in a porcelain cup.
Why this dish? Montesquieu frequented the Parisian salons of the Enlightenment, where hot chocolate, recently arrived from the Americas via Spain, was the fashionable drink of cultivated minds. It was frothed with a molinillo before long philosophical conversations.
I am sometimes reproached for my sobriety; so be it, but leave me my morning chocolate! The salon attendant beats it with the molinillo until a fine froth rises, and that is the hour when the mind awakens better than at any other. I have heard debates on the laws and customs of nations, steaming cup in hand; believe me, many great thoughts were born at the edge of a chocolate cup.
Ingredients (period version)
- Cocoa paste in tablet (from the Americas) — a piece (base)
- Water or milk — a cup (liquid)
- Sugar — to taste (sweetness)
- Cinnamon — a pinch (spice)
- Vanilla pod — a tip (flavor)
Ingredients
- Quality dark chocolate (70%) — 80 g (base)
- Whole milk — 50 cl (liquid)
- Sugar — 1 to 2 tbsp to taste (sweetness)
- Ground cinnamon — 1 pinch (spice)
- Vanilla — 1/2 pod or a drop of extract (flavor)
- Water — 5 cl (for a more ancient, denser texture)
Method
- Heat the milk (and water) with the cinnamon and split vanilla, without boiling.
- Off the heat, add the chopped chocolate and sugar, stir until completely melted.
- Beat vigorously with a whisk (or immersion blender) to create a thick foam, in the manner of the period molinillo.
- Pour boiling hot into cups and serve immediately.
How it was made : In the 18th century, chocolate was sold in hard tablets that were grated or melted, then the drink was emulsified with a "molinillo" (little mill) rolled between the palms in a chocolate pot with a pierced lid — an essential gesture to obtain the characteristic foam.
The contemporary twist : Serve it in a small espresso cup with a square of French toast for dipping, a nod to the salon snack.
Montesquieu · Charactorium
