Holiday Grind

with steamed milk, created with an espresso machine steam wand or my rustic stovetop method (page 300). Stir again to distribute the flavors. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Try serving with fresh raspberries on the side!

Homemade Dark Chocolate Syrup

Makes about 1 cup

1½ cups granulated sugar

1 cup unsweetened Dutch cocoa powder, sifted

⅛ teaspoon salt

1¼ cups water

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Step 1—In a bowl, combine the sugar, cocoa powder, and salt (but not the vanilla). Add the water and whisk well until thoroughly blended. Pour into a saucepan and place over medium heat. Stir frequently until the mixture comes to a rolling boil; continue stirring and boiling the mixture for a full 7 minutes. (You’re watching for the syrup to reduce and thicken. It will also darken a bit.) If the mixture threatens to boil over, just reduce the heat a bit and keep stirring.

Step 2—After 7 full minutes, remove from heat. Allow to cool a minute and stir in vanilla. Transfer to a bowl and place in refrigerator. When completely chilled, remove any skin from the top and strain through a fine-mesh sieve. I recommend storing this syrup in a standard plastic squeeze bottle in refrigerator. Once chilled, this syrup may firm up on you. Just reheat the bottle in microwave for 30 to 60 seconds or set plastic bottle in a warm-water bath for a few minutes.

HELPFUL HINT: Chef’s say stirring in a continuous circle is not the best way to mix ingredients. Instead, stir in a figure eight, an S-shape, and a circle. In other words, vary the way you stir the pot to make sure the ingredients are blended well.

Homemade Milk Chocolate Syrup

Makes about 1½ cups

1 cup granulated sugar

½ cup unsweetened Dutch cocoa powder, sifted

⅛ teaspoon salt

1 cup whole milk

½ cup light corn syrup

½ cup heavy cream

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

In a saucepan, combine the sugar, cocoa powder, salt, milk, corn syrup, and cream. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and you have a smooth mixture. Keep stirring until the mixture boils, then keep it boiling for 7 minutes, stirring frequently. After 7 minutes, remove from the heat, let the mixture cool for a minute and then stir in the vanilla. Before storing, allow the syrup to come to room temperature. I recommend storing in a standard plastic squeeze bottle in refrigerator. Once chilled, this syrup may firm up on you. Just reheat bottle in microwave for 30-60 seconds or set bottle in a warm-water bath for a few minutes.

Homemade Caramel Syrup

Makes about 2 cups

1 cup heavy cream

½ cup whole milk

1 cup light corn syrup

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup light brown sugar, packed

¼ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In a nonstick pan, combine the cream, whole milk, corn syrup, sugars, and salt. Stir over medium heat until smooth and blended. Bring to a roiling boil and maintain for 8-10 minutes. Keep stirring—do not let it burn! After 10 minutes, stir in butter; continue heating and stirring for another 3 minutes until butter is completely melted. Remove from heat. Let stand a minute, then stir in vanilla. Serve warm in your latte or try drizzling over ice cream, baked apples, or pie. Let syrup come to room temperature before pouring into a standard plastic squeeze bottle and storing in refrigerator. Once chilled, syrup will firm up a bit. To use right out of fridge, simply reheat plastic bottle in microwave for 30-60 seconds or set bottle in a warm-water bath for a few minutes.

Homemade Chocolate-Caramel Sauce

Makes about 2 cups

Use all of the ingredients in the Homemade Caramel Syrup recipe, plus:

2 tablespoons (¼ stick) butter

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

Step 1—Follow the directions for previous caramel syrup recipe. When caramel syrup has finished simmering and recipe asks you to add butter, increase amount by 2 tablespoons—for a total of 4 tablespoons added to caramel syrup mixture. Stir until butter is melted and then stir in the sifted unsweetened cocoa powder. (Make sure cocoa is sifted or you’ll be battling lumps.)

Step 2—Remove chocolate-caramel sauce from heat and stir in ¼ teaspoon vanilla—as per previous caramel syrup recipe. If your hot sauce is still lumpy, transfer to heatproof mixing bowl and whisk until completely smooth. Let sauce cool to room temperature before pouring into a plastic squeeze bottle and storing in fridge. Once chilled, the sauce will firm up quite a bit (like a hot fudge sauce). To use right out of fridge, simply reheat plastic bottle in microwave for 60-90 seconds or set bottle in a warm-water bath for a few minutes.

Homemade Apple Cider Syrup

Makes about 2 cups

2 cups apple cider

2 cups light brown sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 tablespoons butter

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine apple cider, light brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a nonstick saucepan. Over medium-high heat, bring mixture to a boil, stirring frequently. After mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring every so often to prevent sticking or burning. The mixture will reduce and become thicker. Now add butter and stir continuously until completely melted. Remove pan from heat. After a minute, stir in vanilla. Syrup will thicken as it cools.

Serve in your latte or try this delicious Apple Cider Syrup over ice cream or even pancakes, waffles, and French toast.