A woman pours chocolate from one vessel to another. Late Classic Maya (c. AD 750). This is the earliest depiction of the froth-producing process.

Pull up your socks and trim your nose hairs because you gotta be a grown-up to try Mayan Hot Chocolate. This fab mix of chocolate, cinnamon, and cayenne has blown people’s socks off for centuries – but only recently has this sexy combo come north from its Mexican roots. Perhaps back then the heat went well with the ceramic cups that Mayans made using volcanic rock. Nowadays we know that cayenne pepper promotes long-term weight loss by speeding up your metabolism. Either way, this hot chocolate is one of our favourite treats on a chilly day.

Mayan Hot Chocolate

To make Mayan Hot Chocolate, you will need:

• 2 cups milk (whole or almond)
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 4 ½ oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ⅛ tsp cinnamon
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• Long cinnamon sticks for garnish

Directions

To prepare Mayan Hot Chocolate:

1. Bring milk and sugar to a simmer in a medium pot.
2. Stir in chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. Continue to stir until chocolate is melted.
3. Remove from heat and steep for 3 minutes.
4. Reheat over low heat until simmering.
5. Strain into measuring cup and pour between two vessels to increase the foam.

Serve the spicy hot chocolate in your favourite pottery mugs and stir with cinnamon sticks.

September is a fantastic time to cook up a fresh, easy salmon recipe and enjoy with a glass (or two) of fabulous wine.  In this post you will enjoy some tips on buying/selecting fresh salmon, a simple recipe for your fresh fillet along with a suggestion for the perfect wine pairing.

Buying Salmon:

1. We always buy wild salmon. Wild in our opinion is healthier and just tastes better.
2. Fish (including salmon) should never smell. If it does, it isn’t fresh!
3. Fish should never be dull. It should glisten and be firm to the touch.

Salmon Dinner

This salmon and new potatoes dinner serves 4

Wine Pairing

Although there is a trend with Wine Aficionados to pair salmon with a Pinot Noir, we still like the fresh crisp taste of a white with our fish (that’s not to say that purchasing both to do your own taste-test isn’t fully worth it…). Note that our recipe below calls for white wine. For this recipe we recommend a nice Unoaked Chardonnay for tasting perfection with our wild salmon.

You’ll Need:

1. 1 fresh, wild whole side of salmon
2. 1 bunch of fresh dill chopped, stems discarded
3. 1 shallot sliced in thin rounds
4. 1/2 a lemon sliced in rounds
5. 3-4 teaspoons of capers
6. 2 glugs of white wine (open a bottle and enjoy some as you cook)
7. 3 to 4 handfuls of new potatoes (basically 4 potatoes per person)
8. Sprinkle of salt
9. 3 pats of butter

Method:

1. Heat grill or oven to 425 F.
2. Run salmon under cold water and pat with paper towel to ensure it’s dry.
3. Remove any pin bones.
4. Boil water and place new potatoes in with a sprinkle of salt. Boil for 10 min, drain and add pats of butter, some dill, a sprinkle of sea salt and pepper. Cover and set aside.
5. Make a tinfoil packet (using heavy-duty tinfoil) and place salmon filet (skin side down) inside.
6. Place sliced shallots overlapping in a row over middle of fillet.
7. Do same with lemon rounds.
8. Sprinkle with chopped dill and capers.
9. Add white wine ensuring you have poured over entire filet. Extra wine may pool around the fillet but not to worry, your packet will keep it in and it will help to steam the salmon.
10. Close your tinfoil packet so steam produced stays inside.
11. Place on grill or in oven and bake/grill for 12-15 minutes.
12. When done, the salmon should be light pink and opaque and flake nicely with a fork.

Plate salmon using a spatula, add the new potatoes and serve with your favourite green salad.

Enjoy!