Colombian Hot Chocolate

Breakfast in Colombia can be a very gluttonous affair. Arepas, pandebono, almojabanas, and even this dish. But a traditional staple commonly present at the Colombian breakfast table is Hot Chocolate. I'm not talking about Swiss Miss. This is the real deal. Large chunks of decadent, flaky chocolate with cinnamon and clove undertones cut into small squares and infused into warm milk by ways of an aluminum pitcher called a chocolatera. It is brought to a froth not with a whisk but a special wooden stirring stick called a molinillo. There is developed art to making Colombian Hot Chocolate. It takes a little patience and a careful eye as to not let the chocolate boil over (as often happens to me, I will admit).
We are lucky enough to find the packages of chocolate sold at the Colombian market in Arlington. But because even Arlington seems like a day's trek away, we reserve Chocolate for the weekends and serve it with fresh, warm bread from a local bakery. It is important to note that Colombians traditionally cut up fresh cheese to put into the chocolate, a concept not quite convincing to outsiders. (Although I have been fully converted). When I asked Ed why Colombians put cheese in their hot chocolate he simply replied, "It's not a matter of why, but why not."

Ingredients
2 squares of chocolate per 1 cup of milk
Fresh Bread
Fresh Cheese

Directions
Pour milk into the chocolatera. Add chocolate squares. Mix with the molinillo (or whisk if you dont have a molinillo) until chocolate becomes a chocolaty, frothy yumness. Pour into mugs and serve with bread and cheese.


Ed's verdict: He specially requested Hot Chocolate for breakfast and brought home this fresh bread (a serious diversion from his paleolithic diet!) I could tell that he was especially jonesing considering he went out at 8AM to buy more milk...