Chocolat chaud au Nutella*

Quite frequently in the winter months, as I’m winding down for bed with a nice book, I’m struck with the urge to drink some hot chocolate. However, as soon as I make the hot chocolate and have my first sip, I realize that I’m only enamored with the idea of hot chocolate, more than the actual drinking and enjoyment of it. In reality, I often find hot chocolate cloying and flat, at the same time.

Now, there are certainly exceptions to this rule. I recently came across a shop called Cacao in downtown Portland. Attached to the Heathman hotel, this pint-sized shop carries an amazing collection of small batch chocolates from around the world. They also serve an extraordinary hot chocolate, called the Everyday Hot Chocolate. If you’re ever in the neighborhood, definitely stop in for one of these in either a milk or dark chocolate version.

Another exception to my hot chocolate aversion is this recipe that combines hazelnuts and chocolate. Any chocophile knows that this flavor combination is a marriage made in heaven and not to be tampered with. If you don’t have some in your pantry already, go pick up a bottle of this heaven that comes packaged in the guise of a spread called Nutella, and the next time a craving for hot chocolate strikes you, do give this simple recipe below a try.

Nutella hot chocolate

Stir together one heaping tablespoon of Nutella with 1 C hot milk

You can use any milk you like, but my preference is always skim milk

Top with whipped cream, if desired, and enjoy by a roaring fire

*I know Nutella is Italian, but I always associate it with France, probably because of the copious amounts of Crepes au Nutella that we consumed while roaming the streets of Paris -- I have never seen such gigantic bottles of Nutella as I did at the roadside creperies there. This is probably why I feel compelled to give this post a French name, so play along, would ya.