Cooking with Facts: Barbajada

 Though a bit of a change from the usual ‘solid-food’ recipe; for this week I created and rated a cup of Barbajada- a Milanese hot chocolate-coffee drink with rich flavor that would be the near perfect pairing to a French croissant with all of its fanciness.

I found the food-blueprint to make this drink here, the website itself (seriouseats.com) displaying a lot of promising recipes that I quite disappointingly didn’t get the chance to try this time around. Maybe, if possible, I’ll do a drink and snack combo for a week to come, but for now we will settle for the ‘exotic-tasting’ Barbajada.

Initially, and I will admit I’m being completely honest here, I absolutely hated the taste of this… hot chocolate is one of my favorite beverages on its own, but to add coffee? The flavor itself brought a feeling similar to going to a beautiful beach, only to have a huge wave wash over your set up and drag everything you’ve come to like into the ocean.

The hot chocolate was being drowned by coffee remnants- for those who didn’t understand my little piece of imagery.

My analogy, in my opinion, is most appropriate; however, after a couple of well-cooled sips, I could sort of see how a person could vaguely like it.

After a gulp… well, by that point I could most definitely see how someone could treasure Barbajada as a needed winter drink recipe; but, like coffee and hot chocolate, the taste just took a little getting used to.

So, I do recommend, if you’re a fan of the weird, too sweet coffee-cocoa hybrids that companies like Starbucks, Sheetz and McDonald’s produce, you give this recipe a well-deserved try; it has a well balanced sweetness and flamboyant (to say the least) taste.

RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup cocoa powder

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1 1/2 cups milk

• 2/3 cup strong coffee or espresso

• Whipped cream, for serving (optional)

DIRECTIONS

• In a medium bowl, stir together cocoa powder and sugar until thoroughly combined.

• In a medium saucepan, heat milk over moderate heat until steaming.

• Whisk in cocoa/sugar mixture along with coffee, whisking rapidly until hot and frothy.

• Divide into warmed mugs and top with whipped cream.