WARM UP VALENTINE'S WITH HOT CHOCOLATE

Viennese Hot Chocolate (Credit: Viking)

With all kinds of promotions touting love and romance tied to Valentine's Day, we've taken a page from Viking River Cruises to pay our homage to Cupid. After all, what says romance more than chocolate? In this case, Viking's own recipe for Viennese Hot Chocolate. Viking credits Reiner Marks, "who prepared this drink aboard Viking River Cruises ships in Europe many times."

Ingredients:

Seven ounces premium dark chocolate, grated
Three cups of low-fat milk
One tablespoon granulated sugar
One cup heavy cream, chilled
One-half teaspoon vanilla paste (or vanilla extract, organic if possible)
One tablespoon confectioners' sugar
Cocoa powder or chocolate shavings for garnish


Directions:

Gently heat one cup milk with the grated chocolate. Simmer in a saucepan over low heat until all chocolate has dissolved. Combine the remaining milk and the granulated sugar in another saucepan and whisk until all sugar has dissolved. Gently heat while stirring. Add the chocolate mix to the sugared milk and continue simmering over low heat. Whisk heavy cream and vanilla together on high speed and slowly add the confectioners’ sugar until peaks form. Remove hot chocolate from heat and divide into cups. Place a generous dollop of whipped cream on top of each. Garnish with a pinch of cocoa powder or sprinkle with chocolate shavings and serve.

Makes 4-6 servings, depending on mug size.