Hazelnut hot chocolate, adult version

Monique's in Palo Alto makes wonderful truffles. The dark chocolate bites induce a ridiculous degree of pleasure. However, my favorite indulgence at Monique's is their hot chocolate. You pick the chocolate, you pick the liquid and flavorings, and they do the magic to combine the ingredients into a memorable experience. While I prefer, by far, very dark chocolate truffles, when it comes to hot chocolate I am all about milky. My favorite is hazelnut flavored chocolate with hazelnut hot milk.

I challenged myself to come close to Monique's level. Today I gave it a shot, and according to Jasna, Monique's now has a rival. I personally think I found a fabulous excuse to experiment and make much more hot chocolate, yet I don't entirely disagree with Jasna's assessment.

Note that this is a pretty adult version of hot chocolate. It is not very sweet, the combination of hazelnuts and chocolate makes it pretty thick. I am sipping it as I type this ...

First, I had to make hazelnut milk. The ingredients are simple, roasted hazelnuts and milk. I added a fistful or so of hazelnuts and a good cup of milk to the blender. I started blending at the lowest speed to chop the hazelnuts, then I gradually increased the speed to the max, and finally it was turbo-speed time. I let the blender run at its top speed until the milk and hazelnuts became quite hot, but not boiling. I did not time the blending action, but I am sure it was at least 5 minutes. The result was a frothy and thick liquid with hazelnuts completely emulsified. This is where Vitamix truly shines and this is how one justifies the expensive purchase!

While the blender was running, I put a stainless steel pan, 2.5 quarts, on the stove at a very low heat and I put in one row of milk chocolate, and half a row of medium dark chocolate, both the Belgian variety from Trader Joe's. The heat was low enough to slowly melt the chocolate, but did not scorch it. Then I added the hazelnut milk, increased the heat to medium and stirred with a spatula for a few minutes. The chocolate was completely dissolved in milk, there was no trace of chocolate chunks or particles. I added a teaspoon of vanilla extract and about a teaspoon of hazelnut extract. That is because I am nuts for hazelnuts.

I made sure the hot chocolate did not come to the boil, both to prevent scorching, and also to retain the frothiness.

Addendum, March 22, 2014: Lately I have been using milk frother to "whisk" the hot chocolate after stirring it well with a spatula. The additional airiness is a substantial improvement over the previous iteration. I also discovered that chilled hot chocolate, meaning straight from the fridge, is addictive.

Addendum, February 27, 2018: This hot chocolate remains our favorite. I adjusted a little bit how I make it, hence this update:

• I still blend the hazelnuts and milk until I get a total emulsion. No chunks. I am pretty sure one needs a powerful blender like a Vitamix. I blend until the liquid is pretty hot.
• I still melt my chocolate on the stove, though one could also use the microwave. I started to use dark chocolate only, 72% cocoa if I have it.
• Now I add melted chocolate into the hot milk-hazlenut emulsion in the blender and blend some more. This emulsifies the chocolate really well.
• I add some hazelnut extract, and some vanilla extract to the blender along with the chocolate.
• I tend to finish the heating the mixture up on the stove, though one could also pour the hot chocolate into cups and put them into a microwave for a few seconds.