Break into small pieces the number of tablets corresponding to the
number of cups needed; put them into the pan and pour over them boiling
water in sufficient quantity to entirely cover the broken pieces of
chocolate; let the pan stand off the fire without stirring for a few
minutes, long enough to soften the chocolate; then gently crush the
contents until all is perfectly dissolved; after which place the pan
on a slow fire and add the necessary quantity of water and milk. Ten
minutes’ boiling will suffice to cook the chocolate; let it then simmer
near the fire for about five minutes or more without boiling.
NOTE.—Each half-pound cake is divided into six tablets, each
tablet being the right quantity for one large cup.
BRILLAT-SAVARIN, who was a true connoisseur in gastronomy, has given us
a receipt which he obtained from the Superior of the Convent of Belley:
When you wish to “take a good cup of chocolate,” he said, “make it
overnight in an earthen pot and leave it there, well covered; a night’s
repose concentrates it and gives it a velvety softness which renders it
perfect. In the morning heat it without boiling. Cold or iced chocolate
is also very agreeable.”
Chocolate may be lightened by the addition of water, or made more
nourishing by adding milk; but we recommend that it always be dissolved
with boiling water, and that, to dissolve it, not less than one-third
of the liquid needed for the complete preparation of the beverage be
used.
The mode of preparing powdered cacao, or chocolate without sugar, is
the same; only the necessary quantity of sugar and flavoring must be
added thereto according to taste.
NOTE.—Chocolates which thicken quickly and become like a sort of
paste in cooking are far from the best; they are lumpy, grainy and
are often combined with foreign substances. Good chocolate, on the
contrary, being composed only of cacao and sugar, should always
remain in a creamy state.