@TheEdVerse since my polycule is finally doing Yule together in one place, could you ask El if he's got a favorite winter solstice recipe for hot cocoa or something like that? We'd love to give it a spin.
— SteamCelt Resists While Vaccinated (@WyrdhavenArts) December 23, 2021
1)
Elminster doth. Here you go, and enjoy!
Gather ye:
2 cups high-fat milk (Elminster recommends the source be Deepingdale or Mistledale cows)
1 cup of almonds, pulverized with mortar and pestle into a flour or paste 2)
…
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Dark chocolate, in any form (lump, shavings, chopped), 1 cup or a little more, as rich as ye can get
Whipped cream (again, Elminster recommends the source be Deepingdale or Mistledale cows)
…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) December 24, 2021
3)
…
{Optional spices, see end of recipe}
Then:
Boil thy milk over a few coals for a three-count (three seconds), then move to a lower-heat part of the hearth (boil briefly in a medium sauce pot over medium-high heat, then lower… 4)
…heat to medium).
Add in the chocolate and whisk with vigor until it is all melted.
Then add in the almond paste and cornstarch, whisking throughout, until all is dissolved (thy pot should contain a smooth, thick mixture).#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) December 24, 2021
5)
Pour into mugs or tankards that will not shatter, and top with the whipped cream.
Optional: over each, sprinkle the tiniest pinch of pepper, a pinch of nutmeg, and a generous pinch of cinammon (powdered form, all, of course6)
Elminster adds that if ye have imbibers who cannot have nuts, omit the almonds (and mayhap the nutmeg, too, though it’s a seed and not a nut), and make a slightly less rich drink flavored by pouring it over dried cherries…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) December 24, 2021
7)
…(cranberries, if ye cannot get cherries) put at the bottom of each mug and allowed to steep for “a long song” (four to six minutes).#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) December 24, 2021
Whole milk and heavy cream should be fine; that's what I use. ;}
Give El our thanks. We’ll need to pick up some almonds, and I’m afraid heavy cream and whole milk from standard earth supermarket sources will have to suffice, but we’ll happily try this concoction. What should we call this delightful brew? El calls this Chocolate Thickflagon, and I suspect he didn't create the name, and is just quoting it.
He also said he sometimes roasts the almonds before crushing them.
And thanks shall be conveyed. :}#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) December 24, 2021
When they're whole.
Ooooooh, roasting the almonds would actually make grinding them fine a bit easier, so I think we might try it that way. Is the measurement on the almonds while they’re whole, or ground up?You can use less; I'd never go more or it risks turning the smooth into sludge.— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) December 24, 2021
Fair… so an alcoholic elven wild mage invited to participate in the choosing of a new high priest of Mithral Hall *could* accomplish this feat, but it would be a once-in-a-lifetime event if so? Yes, or nearly (it might happen two or even three times in a long, long life, if careful prep was made for all occasions after the first). So no one should ever even begin to think "I can do this whenever I want to."#Realmslore
— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) December 25, 2021