Coming in from the Cold

I see the whining about the length of these Pyeongchang Winter Olympics has begun, but I think what we're really seeing here is an impatience with our lingering medal drought. For all the "spirit of the Games"-business and "bringing the world together," I imagine it's much easier to feel warm and fuzzy when you're Norway, wondering how you're going to get all that hardware through the metal detectors on the flight home. The length of the Games has also helped me decide which shows I never want to see (Good Girls) and which vehicles I never want to buy (that one that the guys says looks "better than 99% of the SUVs out there") because I'm so sick of the ads for them. (And I don't even know what that one other guy is selling, who talks about the power of the technology in our hands, because I change the channel the second I see his face.) But--I'm whining.

Photo by Mira Kemppainen on Unsplash

If we can't go for the gold, we can at least come in from the cold. And nothing warms us like some good food and drink. When I asked her this morning, our not-very-bright Alexa told me this morning that it was "27 degrees Fahrenheit." I appreciated the "Fahrenheit," which she didn't use to specify, because, if she'd only said "27 degrees" like she used to, I might have thought she meant 27 degrees Celsius (= 80.6F) and I should put a bikini on, or 27 degrees Kelvin (= -411.7F), and I was already frozen to death. 

But no, 27F we can deal with and even enjoy, if we can put something warm in our bellies. This weather has my husband craving hot chocolate from Ladurée in Paris, something I never ordered because it was too rich for my blood.

Gateway to goodness

And by "hot chocolate," I mean "hot pudding" -- it's that thick.

[Thanks for the pic, bigoven.com]

Imagine his delight when, for Christmas, our youngest gave him the ingredients and recipe to make his own Ladurée-style chocolat chaud! He's made it at least four times already and swears it tastes just like the real deal. Concoct some of this for yourself, and you'll float through another week of fifth-place finishes without the least urge to complain.

Ladurée-Style Chocolat Chaud

(Makes 2 servings)

1 cup whole milk (don't use nonfat or 2% --what's the point)

2.5 ozs high-quality "bittersweet" or dark chocolate, finely chopped

1 Tbsp light brown sugar

Heat the milk in a medium-sized saucepan. Once it's warm, whisk in the chocolate, stirring until melted and steaming hot. Cook at the lowest possible boil about three minutes to thicken, whisking constantly. Taste, and add brown sugar if desired.