MEXICAN HOT CHOCOLATE: Yom Kippur, Crypto-Jews, & Mexico

The drinking or eating of Mexican Chocolate on Yom Kippur (at the pre-fast meal and at the breaking of the fast) has its roots in the Inquisition in 17th century New World Mexico. According to Rabbi Deborah R. Prinz, Crypto-Jews lived in Mexico in the 17th century, under the surveillance of the Inquisition. They developed subterfuges to avoid being discovered for their undercover Jewish practices, including those related to chocolate eating and drinking. They also took an active role in the cacao trade.

Read More Here.

Rabbi Deborah R. Prinz lectures about chocolate and Jews around the world. Her book, On the Chocolate Trail: A Delicious Adventure Connecting Jews, Religions, History, Travel, Rituals and Recipes to the Magic of Cacao, was published in 2013 by Jewish Lights and is in its second printing.

Mexican Hot Chocolate 
(a pareve version would have been used in the seventeenth-century)
Serves 8

Ingredients
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
4 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream
3⁄4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ancho chile powder (or to taste)
1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder (or to taste)
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon Mexican vanilla extract

Directions
Melt chocolate in large bowl over simmering pan of water.
In separate heavy saucepan, heat milk and cream on low until hot, but not boiling.
Add 3 tablespoons of hot milk to chocolate in bowl and mix well.
Stir rest of  milk mixture, sugar, chile powders, cinnamon, cloves, and vanilla into chocolate.
Whisk chocolate briskly for 3 minutes, over double boiler to thicken.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN CHOCOLATE LIQUEUR: National Liqueur Day

Today is National Liqueur Day! I often make Chocolate Liqueur Truffles. They're so easy to make, and you can change the flavor of the liqueurs whenever you'd like. 

Sometimes, though, I like to make my own chocolate liqueur. You can always buy Chocolate Liqueur, and I'll have to admit that Godiva has an awesome Dark Chocolate Liqueur. You might also want to try Mozart Black Chocolate Liqueur. But if you want to make your own, try one of the following two recipes for Making Your Own Chocolate Liqueur.

As always, use the best cacao nibs or cocoa, vodka, and vanilla. You won't have the results to taste today, but it will be worth the wait!

How to Make Your Own Chocolate Liqueur

1. Chocolate Liqueur
The recipe is from Serious Eats, one of my favorite sites.

Ingredients
 2/3 cup cacao nibs
1 1/3 cup vodka
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup water
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions
Combine cacao nibs and vodka in sealable glass jar. Shake and let steep for 8 days.
After initial steeping period, bring sugar and water to a boil. Let syrup cool, then add to jar along with vanilla extract. Let steep an additional day.
Strain out nibs through sieve and filter through a coffee filter into bottle or jar. Store in this jar.

II. Chocolate Liqueur
This Recipe from Creative Culinary uses Scharffen Berger Cocoa Powder. 

Ingredients
1/4 cup unsweetened good cocoa powder
1 cup boiling water
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
1 cup vodka

Directions
In bowl, dissolve cocoa powder in boiling water.
In saucepan, bring sugar and water to simmer, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
Add sugar syrup to cocoa syrup.
Strain through fine-mesh sieve into jar with lid.
Add vodka, cover and refrigerate for one week.
To serve, stir well and strain again through fine-mesh sieve.
 
These two recipes should get you started. Want to try some variations? Use less sugar and maybe add almond extract--or use rum instead of vodka. Experiment!

You can drink your Chocolate Liqueur straight, use it in truffles, or make a martini.

Have a wonderful National Liqueur Day. Make it Chocolate!

Chocolate (Theobroma Cacao) Botanical Illustration

I took a course last weekend on Botanical Illustration at the University of California Botanical Garden. I've always been interested in botanical illustration both as an observer, collector, and as a practitioner. I say practitioner because I am not an artist, but I'm practicing.

I find the recording of plants in such intricate detail fascinating. There's room for creativity, of course, but the purpose of botanical illustration is to portray a true portrait of the plant and its parts with scientific accuracy.

I didn't draw any cacao pods, but there is a cacao tree in the UC Botanical Garden greenhouse. I've seen pods there, but didn't get a chance to peek this time and see if there were any pods there now. Next time I see one, I'll spend some time with it. It's hard to do a botanical illustration without the subject being close up, but I'll post my drawing, if it happens. However, in the interim, I thought I'd post a few well known botanical illustrations of the Theobroma Cacao Plant.

This one below is from "Der Cacao und die Chocolate by Alfred Mitscherlich", Berlin 1859.

This second one is From Koehler's Medizinal Pflanze (1887):  Theobroma Cacao--as is this third and the one at the top.

Not sure where this is from, but I love that it shows the different colors the pods take during their growth period--and it has the cross section of the pod and the flowers in graphite (or ink?). Very cool.

This is a Cacao Wall Chart used to teach botany students.