I have always considered myself quite a nice person. I like food of all shapes, flavours and colours. From every country and continent. I don’t discriminate, I am an equal opportunity eater. It’s only the doctors who say I’m intolerant. And certain foods who refuse to tolerate me. They certainly refuse to recognise and respect my right to eat them without major physical discomfort and distress.


Gluten and lactose are not my friends.


Despite the negative attitudes surrounding me from many of those I love best, (cakes, ice cream, hot toast) I decided to become a chef. Not always easy when you live in a bread and milk filled world. I like to think that this has helped me become a better person as I embrace my differences and refuse to let the gluten get me down. I believe InTolerance. I am the InTolerant Chef.

Food should not be about what you can’t eat, but what you can and what you enjoy eating. This blog is about my journey of cooking and eating and discovery. It’s not a definitive guide to allergy awareness nor do my intolerances make me an expert. Your body is your responsibility, not mine. I only know what works for me.


I can tell you this..... No glutens were harmed in the making of this website.

June 21, 2013

Haute Chocolate for Mid Winter




With Mid Winter creeping up this weekend, and a forecast of minus 5 degrees for Friday night, it's definitely time to indulge in a few of the comforts that make Winter bearable here in Canberra



Wrapping your hands around a steaming, hot, fragrant, rich cup of Hot Chocolate isn't always easy with lactose InTolerance, but I don't understand why I should ever miss out on all the goodies available to the more mainstream menus. Instead of pouting and sulking, I just make one that works for me and that the family loves too. No problem!


Did you know that Lindt 70% and above dark chocolate is dairy free? Yes it is indeed, so is cocoa powder and they are both packed with mega chocolatey flavour without the yucky part that will make me sick. Now I can handle lactose free milk as the base of my hot chocolate, but feel free to use soy milk, nut milk, or whatever you need to create a lovely creamy cup of Yum

The best cup of Hot Chocolate is rich, thick and creamy. Instead of adding in heaps of extra calories with lactose free cream to help thicken it, I included some cornflour for just a little bit of texture- don't worry, it won't be like custard or anything. I've also added spices for complexity and some exotic hints of flavour, and some salt just to really sharpen up the rest of the flavours and stop them blending just that bit too much into a homogeneous chocolate mass




My magic ratio of ingredients for each mug (1 1/2 cups of liquid) of Hot Chocolate: 
1 tab Cocoa, 1 tsp Cornflour, extra big pinch Cardamom, big pinch Cinnamon, tiny pinch Salt



Little bits and pieces are all well and good, but making a whole jar at once is a lot less hassle and allows me to whip up a batch whenever the Winters Chill gets the better of me


So For 10 Big Mugs of Happiness:

10 tbsp Cocoa Powder
10 tsp Corn Flour
1/2 block of Lindt 70% Chocolate
2 1/2 tsp ground Cardamom
2 tsp ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Salt

Now I haven't added any sweetener to this mix as I really don't have much of a sweet tooth. You can either just sweeten it to taste at the end, or add in several tablespoons of gluten free icing sugar to the mix as it will blend in really well. It's up to you, but I like the slight grown up bitterness from the dark chocolate.

Place all the powders into a bowl for mixing




Finely grate in the chocolate
I used a microplane for lovely little chocolately curls that will dissolve easily




Mix it all together really well so there are no clumps or streaks




Now to Make the Magic Happen!
For each nice big mug allow 1 1/2 cups of milk or substitute. Pop in a saucepan




Then add a tablespoon of the mix per mug of the Chocolate mixture




Whisk the powder in until combined well with the milk




Stir or whisk the mixture until it just comes to the boil, then take it off the heat





Pour into your favourite mug, top with gluten free marshmallows and a final grate of chocolate, then wrap your hands around it and let it warm you up from the inside out!




Package up the rest of the Hot Chocolate mixture and place it in an airtight container or in a pretty little jar and give it away as a Winter Solstice gift. With the shortest day behind us, we have only another 3 months or so of frosts ahead of us, so Chocolate Cheer is definitely called for indeed!





So Dear Readers, how do you like your Hot Chocolate, and how do you like to spend a frosty cold weekend?







23 comments:

  1. I am a bit of a tea fanatic Bec but I do like hot chocolate. I dont often make it at home but your recipe looks perfect ( and tolerable ha!)

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    1. Thanks Tania :) I'm a real tea fanatic too actually. Hot chocolate is only for dire thawing-out emergencies!

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  2. Oh Bec, may I have one right now please... hold the cornflour (no grains for now). Love this post! I'm going to make myself one right now! xox

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    1. I bet you could use arrowroot instead, it would work well too Lizzy :)

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  3. This week I've had five hot chocolates-so one practically every night. I've never used cornflour so that's an interesting addition! I usually quadruple it with chocolate because there's no such thing as too much chocolate is there? :)

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    1. Love your style Lorraine... never enough chocolate EVER! :)xox

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  4. I will definitely set aside a jar of this. We may be on opposite sides of the spectrum, weather-wise, but I happen to really enjoy haute chocolate. Sometimes I need my fix and I don't care what the temperature is outdoors. Besides, I can always sit in front of the air conditioner. Thanks for sharing your recipe.

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    1. Thanks John! When we first got our air cooler, the kids would rug up in blankets! Maybe the airconditioner is a good idea after all :)

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  5. I rarely drink hot chocolate, only in winter (and now we have summer), but if I do, cardamom always has to go into it! Love the mug! :D

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    1. Kath, I'm not avoiding you- I'm locked out of your site for some reason and have been for months. It happend with a couple of others too, and I don't know why. Sorry sweetie!
      I usually add a splash of rosewater to my hot chocolates too, just to make them extra special!

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  6. WOW!! That would certainly make winter much more bearable! What an indulgent hot chocolate! I might have to visit Canberra just so I can call in for a mug :)

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    1. As long as you stop by my place so I can make it for you in person :)

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  7. I love your owl mug. How cute is that! And -5C? That's just so cold and so extreme considering Sydney temps and we're only just over 3 hours away. It hardly makes sense when you consider QLD is 13 hours away and there's almost no difference in temps. Your warming chocolate sounds so delicious and very warming indeed and definitely what I would need as a kick-start first thing in the morning if I was facing -5. xx

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    1. Mr mug is about 20 years old now Charlie :) I find it hard to reconcile the temperature differences too. My sister is planting out spring veggies in QLD, while I can see snow on the mountains from my window!Maybe you take some of this chocolate in a thermos when you go jogging again :) xox

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  8. I can still remember my first ever hot chocolate with marshmallows in it. I must have been about ten or so...a WONDEROUS experience :-)

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  9. How do you get rid of a sweet tooth? I have several I need to unload.

    That owl is so cute! It's not that cold up here but a cup of hot cocoa sounds pretty good to me.

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    1. I've figured out I have a Fat tooth instead Maureen, I crave a piece of cheese or cream instead of chocolate or candy.
      It's pretty bleak here today, and hot chocolate is certainly warranted, I'm sure you don't need an excuse though :)

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  10. you have me craving a hot chocolate :)

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  11. The sight of the snow white marshmallows floating on the sexy, smooth brownish hot chocolate is driving me crazyyyyyyyyyyyyyy !
    And I want that owl-mug. I swear I do !

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  12. My owl mug is about 20 years old, so I think you're out of luck there! Sorry :)

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  13. I remember that mug!!! I still have my Miss Piggy mug!

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