In pursuit of the perfect cup of hot chocolate

Living in Tucson, where even a few flakes of snow make the 6 p.m. news, doesn't mean I've forgotten the glories of shoveling snow (mixed with fort-building and snowball fights), followed by a cup of hot chocolate.

The mystique of a cup of hot chocolate is partially due to the timely ministrations of Mother, but also to that magic that is due to the essential ingredient, chocolate.

Here's how we used to make it: We'd mix equal parts sugar and cocoa (Hershey's, in the dark-brown can). We'd use half the per-cup amount of cocoa recommended on the can, because Mother said they told us to use so much just to sell more cocoa, and we didn't need it...

This mixture, enough for a whole potful, was made in a mug. Milk (whole milk only, in those days) heated on the stove till it was steaming. Then a small amount of it was poured into the cup with the mixture in it, and the whole was returned to the pan for a few more moments of heating.

Then it was served, with marshmallows of course.

That's just about as simple a list of ingredients as there can be for hot chocolate: cocoa, sugar, and milk. But there are thousands of variations out there, and I'd like to find out your favorites. PLEASE tell me your hot chocolate recollections and recipes right here as a comment to this post.

Thanks! Now that it's winter, I'll experiment with some new ones myself, and let you know what I find. I'm dreaming of one right now with coconut milk in it....Never heard of such a thing back in CT, but.... Well, wait and see! Don't forget to comment with your recipe!

Wait a minute! I just found this cookbook at Amazon. It's rated at 5-stars by all the reviewers! And it's hard to find -- it's out of print. But there are some used copies.... all in the pursuit of the best cup of hot chocolate of course.

I also found this canister of Godiva cocoa. Might as well start with the best ingredients: It's also 5-star rated.

PL