Hot chocolate for grown-ups

Hot chocolate doesn't have to be thin and wimpy or sickly sweet. This recipe, from the culinary alchemist Heston Blumenthal, takes a little bit more effort than just adding chocolate powder to some milk, but the deliciously creamy consistency and slightly bitter taste makes it so worth it. This is the real deal.

Hot chocolate for 2
100 g dark chocolate with a minimum of 70% cocoa content
500 semi-skimmed milk
2 tbsp double or whipping cream

Grate the chocolate and set aside. Bring the milk to the boil and remove from heat. Add the cream and the chocolate to the warm milk and stir until melted. Leave in the fridge for at least an hour (up to 24 hours) to allow the chocolate to meld properly with the cream.

To serve, gently reheat the chocolate in a pan and froth it up with a blender. Finish with a spoon or two of lightly whipped cream. Pure indulgence in a cup.