Make sure you don’t skip the last part of this classic—the wonderful frothiness is one of the two things that make Mexican hot chocolate special (the cinnamon is the other). For a great dessert, serve this with Churros (page 655). The chocolate sold in Mexican stores for hot chocolate already contains cinnamon and sugar, so you can just melt it with some milk and beat until frothy. You can actually make it with water if you like, and it isn’t half bad.

　　

Ingredients

makes 2 servings

　　1 disk (about 3 ounces) Mexican chocolate or 4 ounces semisweet chocolate

　　2 cups milk

　　1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste, optional (you won’t need it if you’re using Mexican chocolate)

　　1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

　　

Step 1

Chop the chocolate if necessary and combine it with the milk and cinnamon if you’re using it in a saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add the pod and seeds or the vanilla extract if you’re using it. Simmer, stirring, until the chocolate is melted.

　　

Step 2

Remove the pan from the heat. Using a molinillo (a Mexican chocolate beater), a wire whisk, an immersion blender, or an electric mixer, beat the chocolate mixture well until frothy. You can also put the mixture in a blender and (carefully!) pulse until frothy. Reheat if necessary and serve immediately.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.