WIne chocolate

[jendobyns]

This recipe appears in Ivan Day's "Cooking in Europe 1650-1850", a source of many interesting recipes we don't see very often.

England, 1711, (Salmon, 105 -I think this is supposed to be William Salmon, The Family Dictionary, 1696, this particular recipe might be from a later edition)

Take water, three quarters of a pint, choice red port, or rather choice sherry, half a pint, sugar chocolate a quarter of a pound, or something better, fine flour, or white starch, a quarter of an ounce, and a little salt; mix, dissolve and boil, and in about 12 minutes it will be done. But if you make it with chocolate without sugar, the proportion to the former water and wine, will be of chocolate, 2 ounces and a quarter, double refined sugar 3 ounces, fine flour or white starch, a quarter of an ounce, etc. as before.

Ivan Day continues: This recipe is for a drink that is much richer than modern hot chocolate. Melt four ounces of a good-quality dark chocolate in the hot water and wine mixture and whip in half a teaspoon of cornstarch. If required, add extra sugar to sweeten it. The purpose of the cornstarch is to prevent the chocolate butter from separating out. Whip it with a chocolate mill if you have one. Use a balloon whisk if you do not. In Spain at this time, an iced whip of chocolate called Espuma de Chocolate was popular in the summer months. This was introduced into Naples during the seventeenth century, where it was developed into a frozen sorbet called scomiglia di Ciccolata.

Mistress Dobyns

who is now off to find a recipe for something alcoholic and fruity to go with this weather.

[Grymm]

from The Cooks & Confectioners Dictionary by J. Nott 1723

TAKE a Pint of Sherry, or a Pint and a half of red Port, four Ounces

and a half of Chocolate, six Ounces of fine Sugar, and half an Ounce

of white Starch, or fine Flour; mix, dissolve, and boil all these as

before. But if your Chocolate be with Sugar, take double the Quantity

of Chocolate, and half the Quantity of Sugar; and so in all.