mariebelle : for the chocolate lover

last night i had a craving for something sweet, and of course my house is always empty of anything dessert-like (not that i don’t like them — i like them maybe a little too much). so looking in my cupboard to see if i had what i needed to make a hot coco, what do i find: a small tin of mariebelle! a gourmet hot chocolate just waiting for a special occasion! well last night suddenly felt special enough for me! (a small 10oz tin as seen below costs $20us, so i suppose that warrants special occasions)

this is the cream of the crop of hot chocolate! it is the way the french make it, as i’m sure do other europeans. it is nothing like the north american version of a hot coco which is more like a hot milk flavoured with chocolate. if you’ve seen the movie chocolat, it is exactly like the one juliette binoche makes in her little shop: a rich think syrup of melted chocolate, appropriately sweet with a soft touch of bitterness which creates a perfect balance on the palette (it is made with 60% to 70% cacao — so it also has good antioxidant properties: woohoo!).

it is sweet and rich enough that you only make a tiny bit at a time — i use my espresso cups for it which are perfect. it is also simple to make (just add water, about 50/50), yet to make it without clumps is a bit tricky. even boiling water doesn’t seem hot enough given the proportions. so if you have a microwave, use it. otherwise, if you make a quantity big enough, you can use a bain-marie (double boiler). lastly, if you want to make it more ‘north american’ you may add a drop of cream, a bit of liqueur, whipped cream or mini marshmallows (not that i recommend it).

with certainty this hot coco is for the true chocolate lover ~ and it is the best you’ll ever have!

mariebelle is located in new york city.

you can buy their chocolate online.