Working in a restaurant affords me the opportunity to learn the food cultures of many of my colleagues, who often bring home cooking to share for lunch. When that home cooking is Mexican, the dishes are sometimes flavored with chipotles or another chile, and I’ve come to crave that little kiss of heat, even in dessert. The gentle kick in the chocolate soup is tamed by the soothing chocolate-coconut foam.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4 to 6 on it¿s own or 8 as part of fourplay
Ingredients
For the Milk Chocolate–Coconut Foam
For the Soup
To Serve
Preparation
For the Milk Chocolate–Coconut Foam
Step 1
Put the chocolate in a glass bowl and melt in the microwave, using 30-second bursts and stirring after each burst, or melt in a double boiler.
Step 2
Bring the coconut milk to a simmer in a saucepan. Add the chocolate and emulsify with an immersion blender. Refrigerate until cool, then emulsify again with an immersion blender. Pour into a whipped cream maker and charge with a cream whipper charger (N2O ). Shake vigorously. Refrigerate until needed or for up to 2 days.
For the Soup
Step 3
Heat a small skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the chiles, and toast them for about 90 seconds, turning them once. Let the chiles cool, then remove the seeds and chop.
Step 4
Put the chiles in a small saucepan with 1 1/2 cups of the milk. Bring to a simmer, then turn off the heat and infuse for 20 minutes. Mix with an immersion blender to pulverize the chiles. Strain through a fine strainer into a measuring cup and add enough milk to make 3 cups. Pour the milk into a clean saucepan and bring to a boil.
Step 5
Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Pour about one-third of the milk into the center and stir from the inside of the bowl out. Continue adding milk gradually as the chocolate melts. Mix with an immersion blender.
To Serve
Step 6
Fill a small glass or a cup about two-thirds full with the soup and top with the foam. Garnish with some croutons and toasted coconut. Repeat for each serving.
Step 7
For the photograph, I held the glass on its side while I added the foam.
