Get Naked, with hot chocolate!

Oh Philly, there is indeed something that you do better than New York City, and that’s your Naked Chocolate Cafe. Perhaps you just got lucky, that Tom Block (co-founder of Thomas’s Sweets) decided on you rather than the buzzing Big Apple. Luckily, Megabus showed us mercy by blessing us with $2 rides to and from Philly from New York City.

This past weekend, I went to Philly for an Alpha Kappa Psi convention. I got there a bit early so I decided to call up Clement, who is currently on exchange at Penn from University of New South Wales in Sydney, to catch up for a bit. We met on 34th and Chestnut. Literally one minute later, I found myself gaping through the windows of Naked Chocolate Bar, my eyes glazing over all of the glorious chocolate.

“Have you been here yet?!” I demanded

“No. I saved this place just for you!” he replied.

The place is quite small for its popularity and there were probably six or seven tables, which were all filled. We asked one girl if she minded sharing a table and that bloosemed into an hour’s worth of conversation. It was such a great atmosphere to kick back, relax, and meet some new people.

But getting onto the hot chocolate and the food. I had a difficult time deciding between the Aztec and the Hawaiian, but eventually decided on the Hawaiian because I’d never seen it on a menu before. Plus, I was intrigued that the Hawaiian listed sea-salt as one of its ingredients. When I ordered, the lady asked me if I knew what European hot chocolate was because that’s how it’s served. European hot chocolate is thick, rich, and dense. None of that watery-powder rubbish that we are so used to.

When our orders came out, I felt like I was back in Europe again. Gone were the tall glasses of syrupy hot chocolate. Instead, it was served in a tiny expresso sized cup with a generous portion of whipped cream (caramel drizzeled all over), a chip, and a spoon. The chocolate was so thick that you had to use the spoon. It took about 40 minutes to actually drink it!

I have to admit that I wasn’t too fond of the sea salt. In the beginning, it was an interesting contrast to the sweetness but by the time I got to the end of the cup, most of the salt had settled on the bottom. If I go again, I’d probably order the Aztec, which is a bit spicy but cinnamony too.

We also ordered the peanut-butter cupcake. The cake itself is chocolate and the frosting is peanut butter flavored. Nothing too special, but it was delicious all the same.

So, until I visit Penn again, I’ve found a thick hot chocolate recipe that’ll have to do… for now.

Ingredients:

• 2  teaspoons  cornstarch
• 4  cups  milk, divided
• 2  (3.5-oz.) dark chocolate bars (at least 70% cacao), chopped
• 1/3  cup  honey
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Recipe:

1. Whisk together cornstarch and 1/2 cup milk until smooth.
2. Cook remaining 3 1/2 cups milk in a large, nonaluminum saucepan over medium heat until bubbles appear around edge of saucepan (about 4 minutes; do not boil). Whisk in chocolate, honey, vanilla extract, and salt until blended and smooth. Whisk in cornstarch mixture.
3. Bring milk mixture to a light boil, whisking frequently (about 4 minutes). Remove from heat. Let cool slightly. (Mixture will thicken as it cools.) Serve immediately with Marshmallow Whipped Cream, if desired.

If you’re a bit adventurous, try out Aztec Hot Chocolate.

Ingredients:

Naked Chocolate Cafe
1317 Walnut St.
Philadelphia, PA
215.735.7310

You should also check out:

• Semi-homemade angel food cake strawberry trifle
• Chocolate truffle tart
• Almond & walnut danish
• Five minute salty & nutty dark chocolate bark
• O clementine olive oil ice cream

Tagged as: Chocolate