Milk, cream, white chocolate and a real vanilla pod: a soft drink as white as snow, with mini marshmallows melting on top.
White hot chocolate is the cozy drink of December evenings: creamy, very soft, scented with real vanilla and topped with little marshmallows melting into foam. Kids love it, and grown-ups quietly ask for more.
White chocolate is delicate: it burns and goes grainy as soon as it gets too hot. So you melt it OFF the heat, in the still-hot vanilla milk. And because it's already very sweet, you add no sugar, just a pinch of salt and a little lemon zest so it isn't cloying.
Lay the vanilla pod flat and split it lengthwise with the tip of the knife. Scrape the inside of each half with the back of the blade to collect the tiny black seeds.
Pour the milk and cream into the pan with the seeds, the scraped pod, the lemon zest and the salt. Heat over medium heat until it just starts to simmer, then turn off the heat, cover and leave to infuse for 10 minutes.
While it infuses, chop the white chocolate into very small pieces, the size of a grain of rice. Remove the pod and zest from the milk (keep the pod, see the storage tip).
Rewarm the milk just until it steams again, then take the pan off the heat. Scatter in the chopped chocolate and leave it for 1 minute without touching, then whisk gently from the center until everything is smooth.
Whisk hard for 30 seconds to froth it, then strain if a few vanilla seeds have clumped. Pour into mugs, scatter with mini marshmallows and a pinch of cinnamon or coconut. Serve straight away, while the marshmallows start to melt.
Check off every step to celebrate.
It keeps for 2 days in the fridge, covered. Rewarm over very low heat while whisking, without boiling. Don't throw the vanilla pod away: rinse it, let it dry for a day, then tuck it into your sugar jar, which will be vanilla-scented within a week.
It got too hot. White chocolate is more delicate than dark: it should melt off the heat, in milk that's hot but not boiling. A quick blitz with a stick blender can rescue it if it's only slightly grainy.
Yes, 1 tsp vanilla extract, added at the end, off the heat (heat drives off its scent). Avoid artificial vanilla flavoring, which tastes like candy.
Often yes, pork or beef gelatin. If you cook vegetarian or halal, choose gelatin-free marshmallows (made with agar) or top with whipped cream instead.
Add this recipe to your meal, then come back for appetizers, a drink, cookies with coffee: Popotam brings them together, with the shopping for your whole table and the timeline up to dessert. Free, no account.
