Bicerin

The depth of bittersweet chocolate mingles beautifully with a rich dark roasted coffee. A quick stir to swirl them together before finishing with a soft, fluffy cloud of sweetened whipped cream and just a tiny bit more chocolate. Finally the weather is cooling off so it’s a perfect way to dress up our morning cup of coffee.

Bicerin (bee-cheh-REEN) is a centuries old Italian drink, classic and quite simple. It marries together the splendor of hot chocolate with the intense, exotic notes of dark roasted coffee beans.

There are essentially three components in this delightful drink – coffee, hot chocolate, and a cloud of whipped cream.

If you have access to espresso by all means use it. But a high quality, dark roasted bean that’s freshly brewed will do quite nicely. I’m a stickler about my coffee beans – and yes, it makes a difference, a big difference in that cup of Joe. So if you don’t have one, search out a roaster you can trust. I highly recommend Buon Giorno, a micro-roaster based in Tarrant County. The good news, if you’re not local they ship.

For the hot chocolate, you’ll want bittersweet chocolate. It delivers a deep chocolate layer to the drink without being overly sweet. Bittersweet chocolate is bold enough to stand up to a lively cup of coffee but not so bold that it casts a shadow on it. I keep a tin or two of Williams Sonoma Hot Chocolate, the Classic version, in my pantry. It’s full of delectable shavings of pure chocolate and melts beautifully in warm milk or your favorite baked treats.

It’s not quite “fireplace weather” but go ahead and heat up the milk and brew a cup of hot coffee. Warm simplicity tastes wonderful on a cool fall day!

Bicerin

1 cup heavy whipping cream

¼ cup powdered sugar

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

¾ cup milk, whole or 2%

6 tablespoons chopped bittersweet chocolate, plus extra for garnish

Pinch of kosher salt

1 cup hot dark roast coffee or espresso

For the whipped cream:

Pour the heavy cream in a medium mixing bowl. Beat the cream on medium speed for about 1 to 2 minutes, just until the cream begins to thicken. Add the powdered sugar and the vanilla extract.

Continue beating on medium until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate the cream while you make the hot chocolate.

Warm the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once the milk is warm add the bittersweet chocolate and the pinch of kosher salt, whisking to blend together.

Divide the hot coffee between two tall, narrow glasses.

Split the hot chocolate between the two glasses and give the hot beverage a gentle stir. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and an additional sprinkling of the bittersweet chocolate.

Makes two drinks.