Cuban hot chocolate is so rich, thick, and delicious, it's often "eaten" for dessert, served in a small cup with a small spoon.  Cuban families sit together and chat and savor each spoonful of this very special hot chocolate. Sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk are popular ingredients in much of Latin America and the Caribbean.

This recipe, which comes from Douglas Rodriguez and appears in The Magical Melting Pot cookbook, uses whole allspice berries (which you can find online), whole cloves, and vanilla bean or extract to flavor the chocolate, making for a wonderful, complex flavor. If you can find El Rey Bucare chocolate from Venezuela in your grocery store, it's great to use, but you can just as easily substitute any bittersweet or semisweet chocolate baking bars or chocolate chips.

This recipe makes approximately 8 servings. You can either halve the recipe if it's too much or save any leftovers covered in the refrigerator for the next day. You'll want to add a little water when you reheat it, as it will thicken up as it cools. Enjoy!

Cuban Hot Chocolate
(makes approximately 8 servings) 

1 1/2 cups (or one 14-ounce can) sweetened condensed milk 

4 1/2 cups (36 ounces or three 12-ounce cans) evaporated milk

20 whole allspice berries

4 whole cloves

1 vanilla bean, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

10 ounces El Rey Bucare chocolate or other bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (bars or chips/morsels)

5 tablespoons water

5 tablespoons cornstarch 

1.  In a medium saucepan, combine the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, allspice berries, and cloves.  If using a vanilla bean, cut it in half lengthwise and scrape the inside pulp into the milk. Add the outer bean/pod as well. If using vanilla extract, add it now. 

2.  Over medium-low heat, bring the mixture to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, and cook another 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove the pot from the stove and strain the mixture or use a slotted spoon to remove the allspice, cloves, and vanilla pod.

3.  If using chocolate baking bars, cut the bars into small chunks so they'll dissolve more easily. Stir in the chocolate until it's uniformly incorporated in the milk mixture.

4.  Dissolve the cornstarch in the water. Add this to the hot chocolate and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for approximately 4-6 minutes, until it thickens.

5.  Serve the hot chocolate in small teacups with small spoons.  

Adapted from Douglas Rodriguez.

For more visit www.magicalmeltingpot.com