A Nice Cuppa

The Van Leeuwen Ice Cream truck is a masterpiece of sweets, within a revamped post office truck.  Founder Pete Van Leeuwen scoops up love letters like a postman from everybody’s sweetie.  Monsieur and Mademoiselle Cacao! A special delivery… Each luscious scoop is the stuff of Shakespearean poetry. The soft mellow yellow once USPS truck is a still life journal on wheels. Their process is “Local. Fresh. Pure. Simple.”   Flavors include heirloom red currants that glisten in a delicate ice cream. I might have done a lot better on my homework and school science project, if this ice cream truck stopped by!

Since A Nice Cuppa is about putting the ipping in sipping of only the coolest drinks, I waited until the hot sun of ice cream weather transitioned into our autumnal equinox.  The Van Leeuwen gourmet goodie truck has branched out to now serve French style chocolat chaud. Traveling artisanal hot chocolate making stops, on Manhattan’s elite streets.

I was able to conduct an impromptu interview with Monsieur Pete Van Leeuwen in spite of my CSU. “Chocolate as a second language!”  He speaks strictly single origin Michel Cluizel.  He stands by Cluizel as working with remarkable plantations, as well as being family run in the spirit of fair trade. His hot chocolate is not cocoa powder, no less than at the least 99% single origin dark, without use of soy lecithin as stabilizers.

Speaking chocolate for the uninitiated is akin to latin or esperanto. No less than hormone free, un-homongenized milk from local dairies. Since chocolate has switched its costume from wicked to having an angelic halo of hopping antioxidants, this nice cuppa was divine! Smooth, not overwhelming, smoky, creamy and positively sinful! I listen to my Doctor though… If he prescribes as healthy, well, what could I do but enjoy?  Try some decadant sipping too.

This simple recipe is created by Francophile, Doctor of Cacao: David Lebovitz. Author of “The Great Chocolate Book” “Ripe for Dessert” and others.

Parisian Hot Chocolate

Four ‘Parisian-sized’ Servings

2 cups (60 cl) whole milk
5 ounces (130 gr) bittersweet chocolate, (with at least 70% cacao solids), finely chopped
optional: 2 tablespoons light brown sugar

Heat the milk in a medium-sized saucepan.

Once the milk is warm, whisk in the chocolate, stirring until melted and steaming hot. For a thick hot chocolate, cook at a very low boil for about 3 minutes, whisking frequently. (Be careful and keep an eye on the mixture, as it may boil up a bit during the first moments.)

Taste, and add brown sugar if desired.
Van Leeuwen uses cane sugar.

Photos: Van Leeuwen, Lebovitz