toorkombuis

Onthou daardie wonderlike fliek Chocolat met Juliette Binoche en Johnny Depp? Die boek is nog beter. En wat is beter as om met ‘n lekker boek op te krul wanneer die wind om die hoeke huil? ‘n Boek en ‘n lekker groot beker warm sjokolade!

As I poured her a tall glass of mocha and added a splash of kahlua to the froth she surveyed the bar stools with some suspicion.
“You don’t expect me to climb all the way up there, do you?”
I laughed. “If I’d known you were coming I would have brought a ladder. Wait a moment.” Stepping into the kitchen I brought out Poitou’s old orange chair. “Try this.”
Armande plumped into the chair and took her glass in both hands. She looked eager as a child, her eyes shining, her expression rapt.
“Mmmm.” It was more than appreciation. It was almost reverance. “Mmmmm.” She had closed her eyes as she tasted the drink. Her pleasure was almost frightening.
“This is the real thing, isn’t it?” She paused for a moment, bright eyes speculatively half-closed. “There’s  cream and – cinnamon, I think – and what else? Tia Maria?”
“Close enough,” I said.
“What’s forbidden always tastes better anyway,” declared Armande, wiping froth from her mouth in satisfaction. “But this” – she sipped again, greedily – “is better than anything I remember, even from childhood. I bet there are a thousand calories in here. More.”

– Chocolat, Joanne Harris (Black Swan, 1999)

Viviane se soet warm sjokoladedrankie
(met skop — en ‘n bietjie van ‘n byt)

Genoeg vir twee

Jy het nodig

400 ml volroom melk (dis nie nou die tyd vir kalorieë tel nie)
½ vanillaboontjie, wat in die lengte deurgesny is
½ kaneelstokkie
1 brandrissie in die helfte deurgesny, pitte verwyder
100g donkersjokolade (dit moet 70% kakao wees – Lindt of Cote D’Or)*
Sagte bruinsuiker (die donker een met die baie molasse), na smaak
Geklopte room
Sjokoladekrulle (hier kan jy sommer ‘n bietjie sjokolade met ‘n aartappelskiller in krulle afskil)
Konjak of Amaretto

So maak mens:

Gooi die melk in ‘n kastrol, voeg die vanillaboontjie, kaneelstokkie en brandrissie by en bring stadig tot kookpunt. Kook nog vir ‘n minuut.
Rasper die sjokolade en klop dit in die melkmengsel totdat dit heeltemal gesmelt is. As dit regtig moet, kan jy die suiker byvoeg, maar probeer dit eers daarsonder.
Haal die kastrol met die sjokolademelkmengsel van die stoof af,  haal die speserye uit en sit die kastrol weer terug op die stoof en bring dit stadig weer tot kookpunt. (STADIG is die towerwoord hier – daar is niks wat so sleg smaak soos melk wat aangebrand het nie.)
Skink die sjokolademengsel in bekers, skep geklopte room bo-op, sprinkel sjokoladekrulle en voeg ‘n skeutjie Amaretto of konjak (KWV 5 jaar oue brandewyn sal ook doen – jy kan dit nou oor die toonbank in enige drankwinkel koop.)