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It is tipping down with rain as I write and I find myself longing for a romantic rainy day in Paris.
Paris in the rain makes me feel comforted and lazy and warm …
above all, paris in the rain makes me long to drink hot chocolate …..
I adore hot chocolate – this is not a state secret – it is my drink when out at early morning fairs, or in front of a fire in the afternoon, a drink that unites, that comforts, that smooths out rough edges
To make a very special, very French hot chocolate, you have to forget about
hot chocolate in powder form. You need the REAL THING!
Here is how I make it for those special afternoons. Warm a pint of milk slowly in a pan, then break about 100 grammes (half a large bar) of good quality dark chocolate into the warm milk and stir carefully until all the chocolate is melted. Now add some thick cream and keep stirring, then sugar to taste. Here you can take a whisk and give some froth and softness to your warm perfection.
Pour into individual cups or bowls, add a little chantilly, or whipped cream to the top if you wish , and sprinkle with cocoa powder and some finely grated chocolate.
Some people favour a little cinnamon in the warm chocolate mix, I personally prefer it simple.
To be sipped slowly, in front of a roaring fire, preferably accompanied by a little brioche bought as you rushed out in the rain to the bakers on the corner of your rainy paris street.
How we love the autumn!
Not my pictures I’m afraid, I was too busy drinking the stuff to shoot it properly![blank]
All images with thanks to Google. [blank]
36 comments
The hot chocolate looks so enticing; and the scenes are just beautiful.
Just stumbled across your blog and oh what a lovely find, not actually a hot chocolate fan, but could be after reading that.Annie
Delicious, Sharon. Now you have me dreaming of Paris on a rainy day, too, and the chocolate chaud at Café de Flore. Heaven. Wish we could meet there to enjoy a perfectly Paris gray day! XO
Hi Sharon,
Have enjoyed following your lovely blog for quite a while and in doing so, have come to recognize that there are many similarities between the French and the Greek culture. Hot chocolate, prepared the way you describe, is one of them! Hope you'll drop by my house in the countryside of Crete, where autumn is late, but it's never too early for le chocolat!
Have a great week.
Poppy
What a perfect rainy day…add a good book and a thick blanket, and count me in!
Yes, this is on my list of things to do while in Paris. Hope this means that I will be enjoying chilly weather as I sip chocolate chaud!!
Hi Sharon, upon reading your introduction above, I immediately thought that " French hot chocolates are pure." You are so right that they are made from real dark chocolate with hot milk and thick cream which makes them so delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Sounds perfect. Ready for a cozy fire and a good cup of hot chocolate.
I am drooling over this post (quite literally!) and your recipe sounds divine. I remember my husband wooing me over 20 years ago with a perfect combination – hot chocolate from Chez Angelina and chocolate macarons from Laduree – it didn't take long for him to win my heart! Have a great week, Cynthia
Hello Sharon! What a wonderful post! I love it! And I love autumn! Have a nice evening!
i will be there in 5 days and am so looking forward to sipping my decadent chocolat!
thanks for the tips!
michele
I love the inside of cafes in autumnal Paris. With hot chocolate. Or even vin chaud, if the mood is right!
Paris sous la pluie reste la plus belle ville du monde, mais je suis française ceci explique peut être cela. Merci pour ce joli post
Nell
One of my fondest memories was an chilly November afternoon, sipping hot chocolate at Angelina's in Paris.
Why can't every day be so perfect ? 🙂
YUM! I love a good hot chocolate – had a few cups lately! Elle x
Hey Sharon now I feel like a hot chocolate…I'm going to have one next time it rains and think of this post!
I did my fall semster in france Paris to be exact many years ago, Thats when I fell in love with Cafe au lait, and a croissant! I do not live in france but in the country in Pa and in an old stone house with horses too!! Its rainy today and I know just how you feel, Paris in the rain is awesome!
That last picture is killing me…..reminds me of my last time in one of my most favorite cities. No where in the world has rain ever looked so beautiful. The city was shrouded in this foggy gray mist with light rain and it felt like something right out of a movie, I had not even a single care about my hair! Now THAT'S saying something…lol!
Holy, if that was the hot chocolate recipe I used, I'd drink it all the time too!! Thanks for sharing xox
Well, what can I say, I want your life! Maybe if I make the chocolate your way, I can literally get a taste. You write so well; I swear I could smell the rain from your words and images.
I'm sitting here in humid, hot weather; 80s(F) on the thermometer. And nothing too exciting to look at, might I add. No Eiffel Tower, that's for sure.
I overslept the clock alarm, the car wouldn't start, and then a woman fainted dead away in front of me in the department store (she survived). I think I have the Monday blues. (Or Monday bad luck!)
The air conditioning is blasting, so I think I'll pretend it's as cool outside as inside and start heating up a pan of that milk. Life's small comforts; we do need them sometimes!
Okay, two bloggers mentioned Angelina's in Paris. Forgive my ignorance, but please give details on a future post. Allow me to dream…
I'd like to think it's a connection to my great-great French grandmother, but my indulgent, most favorite treat or snack is pain du chocolat, and I hope I spelled that correctly. The most perfect, liquidy chocolate oozing out of the most perfect French bread. It just brings me on home…
Yes, I know pain du chocolat (or, as some people say, pain au chocolat) is supposed to be traditionally a type of puff pastry, almost like a croissant…but I improvise! A good French bread can do no wrong in my book.
Okay, enough comments from me today. I'm hogging the blog.
Thank you, Sharon, for another nice post. I so enjoyed seeing your recent loot, especially the dishes which seemed more lavender or lilac trimmed on my computer (a less common color than I'm accustomed to seeing with antique china/porcelain, although I don't have the trained eye; just know what I like!).
Oh this looks divine! I'll have to try this recipe. I adore hot chocolate made with dark chocolate with a dollop of whipped cream on the top. 🙂
Thanks so much for the recipe.
What fabulous images – we had such an unseasonably cold and rainy day and a hot chocolate would have been perfect…love Paris in the rain…
Aye, there goes a beautiful cup of hot chocolate because the only way I'll have it is to dunk something in it i.e. doughnuts, toast or french bread. Coffee is for sipping, hot chocolate is for dunking.
Oh how I love real hot chocolate – I don't drink it nearly often enough. Lovely.
I love reading your blog early in the mornings. I sit and dream of France…it makes my whole day!!. Now, I will sit and dream and drink a cup of very good hot chocolate!! Perfect morning!!
Hmmmm I can almost taste it now! xxpeggybraswelldesign.com
What beautiful delicious as well as inspirational photos Sharon. I'm a bit new here but I so love the read and view a life to dream of.
Oh, you have brought back such wonderful memories….when I was a little girl, my family would go skating on the rink that was in front of the Toronto City Hall and then afterwards go to this little café tucked away in Yorkville which made the most delicious hot chocolate served in big cups heaped with whipped cream…oh my…cheeks rosy from the cold and a noses running from the heat of the hot chocolate, how yummy!
Temptress!! xv
Really yummy! Love autumn too, it's my favorite season.
How lovely! Paris in the rain sounds heavenly.
Beautiful pictures. I was transported back in time.
I love your blog..I am about to paint my kitchen island. i am looking for a great french blue gray. any suggestions?
Makes me home sick for Paris and Normandy. Love to paint both locations, rain or sun. Thanks for your post!