Mexican Hot Coffee-Chocolate with Chili Cream

Blended coffee drinks get a bad rap, because they are often just too sweet. It pays to remember that coffee is a spice, and its savory richness should always be allowed to shine through. When you enrich the coffee with two Mexican flavor bumps -- dark chocolate and chili powder – you’ll get a classic combination that’s been a staple of cooking for centuries.

Yield: 4 mugs

Ingredients

For the chili cream topping:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp. cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. fresh ground coffee
1/2 tsp. sugar

First prepare the chili cream so it is ready to go as soon as the chocolate is hot. Combine ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl, and whisk to stiff peaks. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

For the hot coffee-chocolate:
2 cups whole milk
2 cups brewed coffee
3 oz. Mexican-style bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
3 tbs. Turbinado sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
A pinch of salt

Combine ingredients in a medium saucepan and set over medium heat. As the chocolate melts, use a whisk to stir all of the ingredients together and prevent any scorching on the bottom of the pan as the mixture comes to a simmer. Remove from the heat and whisk vigorously for a few seconds to make it frothy.

Ladle or pour the hot coffee-chocolate into 4 mugs and top with large dollops of the cream.