It's been very cold here this week. The temperatures have only been around 13 degrees celsius (55 fahrenheit) during the day. In the mornings there has been ice on the windscreens and frost on the grass. Now, I know full well that isn't particularly cold depending on where you live in the world. It is, however, cold for us!
Because we were in Europe at the beginning of the year, it almost feels like this is our second winter for the year. One day this week I stuck my hand in my pocket and found a ticket from our visit to Chambord which is a chateau in the Loire Valley.
When we go out for coffee I will either have a flat white (which is my one cup of coffee for the week) or a hot chocolate. Occasionally I might have a chai to change things up. Given the weather, I have been contemplating hot chocolate that I have had this year.
Before we went to Europe I hadn't given a lot of thought to what the hot chocolate would be like, so it was a complete surprise when they looked like this! This is actually from the second day we were in The Netherlands. The first day we had a similar hot chocolate but I didn't think to take a picture. My husband loves cream so this is definitely very close to his idea of heaven. This hot chocolate was very much appreciated as we had just spent a couple of hours walking around a replica of the Batavia, a Dutch ship that sank off the coast of Western Australia in the 1600s. It went down very well with a kind of apple pie!
Chocomel is a brand of chocolate milk in The Netherlands and it is so good! Luckily my in-laws live very close to a supermarket so we were able to get our fill while we there. You can get it here but it is very expensive. This particular treat was consumed after we walked through the Christmas markets in The Hague which is where my mother-in-law grew up. This was where I tried a very traditional version of croquettes served simply with soft white bread, mustard and slaw.
We ate many delicious apple treats during our time in The Netherlands and northern France. This particular apple pie was at one of the few cafes that were open in the town of Denhelder which is where my father-in-law grew up. Funny story about this hot chocolate. We were trying to order hot chocolate with cream but somehow the order was mixed up so some of us got hot chocolate with rum and cream. Not sure that was a winning combination.
Given how famous Belgium is for it's chocolate, it's probably not a surprise that they do a delicious hot chocolate too. Here we are in the town of Ypres.
Once we were in France we could order hot chocolate either with or without cream. This particular one was imbibed sitting outside a cafe outside in the centre of Chartres. We stopped here on the way from the Loire Valley to Paris.
Hot chocolate on the Champs Elysee!
And finally an early morning hot chocolate sitting outside a cafe in the Marais before we started our foodie walking tour.
So what does a hot chocolate look like here in Australia? Well, not like any of those, that's for sure. Our iced chocolates can look a lot like these, but not hot ones!
Still delicious but not quite as decadent. If you are really lucky you might get a marshmallow. I am always torn when I do though. Do I just want to eat the marshmallow or do I want to put it in the hot chocolate so that it melts a bit. Sometimes I end up eating half of it and putting the rest of it in the drink. Maybe I should just ask for two!
I thought I would finish this post of by sharing a different type of Hot Chocolate
Weekly meals
That's a wonderful selection of hot chocolate -- your photos are super tempting. I love to drink hot chocolate, but it's practically a meal by itself, so I almost never order it or I'll be unable to eat my next dinner!
ReplyDeletebest, mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Seeing all these pictures again has made want to have a hot chocolate now, but I would be too full having just had dinner!
DeleteHmmm good, I already have an appetite ☻
ReplyDeleteMe too Elsa!
DeleteI can't remember seeing hot chocolate on the menu around here, but it's generally hot along the Texas Gulf of Mexico Coast. I never tried it when we were in France either, but we are spending most of September in Italy and perhaps I'll drink it there.
ReplyDeleteI don't remember seeing it in Italy Deb! So jealous. Would love to be going back to Italy again!
DeleteVery tempting treats you've posted. I learned i Ireland they call it drinking chocolate when we went searching for some. Love traveling with you :-)
ReplyDeleteWe have drinking chocolate here too Tina!
DeleteYeah, I am participating for once, thanks to my garden bounty!
ReplyDeleteI love hot chocolate, especially when it's cold outside, but I have to say, I prefer to make my own, because usually it's way too sweet for me, and I hate all the cream stuff. I know, I'm weird.
Cream doesn't even enter our house. When required in other recipes i use plain Greek yogurt.
Thanks for joining in Emma!
DeleteIf we don't have cream in the house I begin to worry if we are broke and I just didn't know it yet! lol
Flat white is my choice when out. We don't often see hot chocolate here. I do enjoy cold coffee Frappuccinos during the summer as a treat.
ReplyDeleteI would have thought hot chocolate would be a thing in Canada in winter for sure Jackie!
DeleteIt's summer here, but the hot chocolate looks amazing, anyway!
ReplyDeleteSome of them really do Joy!
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