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Happy Valentine’s Day! Today is the day to celebrate the strongest power in the universe. Love. So since we are all slaves to it, in one fashion or another, here the music of the day:

Have you seen the movie, Chocolat? You know the one where Juliette Binoche plays Vianne, a woman who through her chocolate confections, changes peoples lives by unleashing their hidden desires? Who has a knack for guessing the favorite confections of the people in the village based on a basic understanding of the human desire? Where until she lets her own desires take over, she cannot guess the favorite chocolate of the one she secretly desires- aka Johnny Depp? Well I guess I have always fancied myself a cook’s version of this archetype. The Kitchen Witch. Who through blending the perfect balance of tastes and textures can win the heart of any person. I truly believe that the way to anyone’s heart is through food, not the physical food itself, but the energy that goes into it as you prepare it. This is not just a means to a romantic end either, this is love in all its incarnations.

Cooking is very ritualistic- you have the sacred space dedicated to it-  the kitchen, you have your implements-  whisks, knives, spoons, spatulas and then there are your magical potions and properties – herb, spices and ingredients. When it comes down to it, it is all very mysterious what happens in a kitchen,  that which turns common ingredients into mouth watering delicacies.

So inspired by the movie Chocolat, I decided to replicate Vianne’s Mayan Hot Chocolate-  spicy chili peppers paired with rich dark chocolate. It is MY favorite. What could be more soothing than a nice hot cup of liquid chocolate? What brings back memories of childhood better than hot chocolate? Well, this is not your mom’s hot chocolate! If anyone needs to spice up their love life or wishes to give a truly decadent treat to their lover, this is the perfect recipe.

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The dark chocolate taste is smooth and thick as you first sip it, but then there is a surprise ending, the kick of chili in the back that just warms up your whole body and could certainly melt the coldest of hearts! Not to mention what it can heat up…
The real beauty is that you can whip this up really quick, because you most likely have all the ingredients already – that way you can get back to spending time with the one you love a lot quicker.

If you liked this post and are interested in learning more about the esoterics of food, please check out my e-book The Secret Energy of Love Through Food.

Happy Valentines Day to everyone!

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INGREDIENTS:

8 oz. Whole Milk – Raw milk if you have it is amazing in this!
1 TBS Ghiradelli Double Chocolate Hot Cocoa
3 TBS Dutch processed cocoa powder
1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

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METHOD:

In a small saucepan, heat the milk. Add the hot cocoa, the cocoa powder and spices and mix until blended. Serve in beautiful red mugs and garnish with a dollop of whipped cream- I put a little Frangelico in mine.

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