Recipe Chocolate Wine

Elawin

Guru
Joined
1 Apr 2016
Local time
1:07 PM
Messages
3,733
Location
London/Essex border, UK
Ch.jpg


This recipe is particularly good as an after-dinner drink, which was when port was often consumed, as well as chocolate. It’s worth serving it in small (espresso or small coffee) cups, as it is very rich.

Original recipe

John Nott, Cook’s Dictionary, 1726

Take a pint of sherry, or a pint and a half of red port, four ounces and a half of chocolate, six ounces of fine sugar, and half an ounce of white starch, or fine flour; mix, dissolve, and boil all these as before. But, if your chocolate be with sugar, take double the quantity of chocolate and half the quantity of sugar; and so in all.

Adapting the recipe for modern use

To make 4 small cups

· 128 g (4½ oz) dark chocolate, at least 80% cocoa solids
· 600 ml (1 pt) ruby port (or 500 ml sherry)
· 30/40 g (2-3 tbsp) caster sugar
· ½ oz rice or plain flour

1. Pour all of the port into a saucepan.
2. Break up the chocolate into small chunks and add to the saucepan.
3. Add the sugar to the saucepan. Alcohol goes bitter when you heat it, so you may need more to taste.
4. Whisk in the flour.
5. Cook over a low heat for 10 minutes, until small bubbles form around the edge. Do not let it boil.
6. Whisk the chocolatey mix together.
7. Pour into cups or a chocolate pot of choice and enjoy warm.

Recipe notes

Remember that pints were old pints – 16 fluid ounces – and that chocolate usually came ready prepared in blocks. The best thing to use is the 100% cocoa chocolate sold in blocks as cooking chocolate. However, as the author says, if you can’t get that, adapt the sugar proportions – a bar of between 60-80% cocoa should require about half the amount of sugar mentioned here. Do not use milk chocolate! For the starch, rice flour is ideal, but plain flour will do.

The French were keen consumers of chocolate, often with milk rather than port, and is was a great favourite at breakfast – a position which is occupies still.
 
What a bizarre recipe! I can't imagine why anyone would want to ruin perfectly good port by adding sugar and chocolate to it. Makes me question my choice of university.
It's the Georgians you have to blame for that, @epicuric and @morning glory, not the university. It's part of a course on the history of food. I must admit, I drink chocolate straight - no milk, no sugar, and definitely no alcohol; just 2 very heaped teaspoonfuls of pure 100% cacao chocolate in water. Pure heaven.
 
@epicuric

Hot Chocolate or Chocolate a la española, a traditional drink of the Aztecs, first became popular in Spain in 1606, however, Hernan Cortez encountered it in Mexico in 1520.

Here is the Spanish Versión:

12 ounces ( 375 grams ) semi sweet chocolate grated
18 fl. oz. or 1 1/4 cups wáter
1 teaspoon of bio Corn flour dissolved in ice wáter

Heat the grated chocolate with the wáter in a saucepan. Then combine thoroughly. When it comes to a high simmer, add the dissolved corn flour. Bring to a high simmer 3 times, stirring vigorously clockwise and while stirring, lift the sauce pan off the flame .. This shall prevent the mixture from boiling over the sauce pan ..

Ladle into ceramic cups ..

Interesting take on chocolate with Port ..

Have a lovely day ..
 
@epicuric

Hot Chocolate or Chocolate a la española, a traditional drink of the Aztecs, first became popular in Spain in 1606, however, Hernan Cortez encountered it in Mexico in 1520.

Here is the Spanish Versión:

12 ounces ( 375 grams ) semi sweet chocolate grated
18 fl. oz. or 1 1/4 cups wáter
1 teaspoon of bio Corn flour dissolved in ice wáter

Heat the grated chocolate with the wáter in a saucepan. Then combine thoroughly. When it comes to a high simmer, add the dissolved corn flour. Bring to a high simmer 3 times, stirring vigorously clockwise and while stirring, lift the sauce pan off the flame .. This shall prevent the mixture from boiling over the sauce pan ..

Ladle into ceramic cups ..

Interesting take on chocolate with Port ..

Have a lovely day ..
I used to have it like that too, but don't bother with the cornflour any more.
 
I remember reading about some pretty amazing menus from the C 17 - C 18. Eye watering food consumption, I will try and dig some out.
I've got some late C19/early C20 ones upstairs in the library. The only problem is that most of them are for about 40 people and, if I remember correctly, some of the recipes were not that easy to adapt for modern families, let alone 1 or 2 people!
 
I've got some late C19/early C20 ones upstairs in the library. The only problem is that most of them are for about 40 people and, if I remember correctly, some of the recipes were not that easy to adapt for modern families, let alone 1 or 2 people!

@Elawin,

The Mediterranean is chockful of ancient recipes, and of course, they are being re-novated or re-invented to today´s times ..

I do not add the corn flour of any type ! It is not done in Bars who serve Hot Chocolate. I personally prefer an Oloroso, a sweet Spanish Brandy, or Chocolate or Coffee liquor verses Sweet Port .. A dry Sherry ( Fino White wine ) is better adopted to Fried Calamari, and Crispy Fried Fish ( Boquerones = Fresh Anchovies ) as it is extremely dry and crisp in flavor notes.

Have a wonderful day.
 
Adapting the top recipe.
Get yourself 2 pints of port, pour 1/4 in a pan. Heat up. Add one packet swiss miss hot chocolate mix. Mix together. Pour into the rest of the port.
Enjoy.
Or better yet, forget either the hot chocolate or the port.
If forgetting the port, add 8 oz of hot water to the packet of chocolate.
 
Back
Top Bottom