Chocolate and Cinnamon Soup

The countdown is on - it's only 6 days 'til Christmas. The last advent candle was lit today and the Christmas spirit is hopefully all upon us by now. Are you feeling festive yet?

I feel very Christmassy when I'm on my way home, to the westerly part of the country, where there are mountains surrounding me and I can chill out at my parents' house, which they decorate beautifully every year. Once there, I also have the opportunity to go snowboarding every single day.

Traditionally, I'm on a snowboard every Christmas Eve day. My Australian substitute brothers loved hearing those stories - they're on surfboards on the 24th of December. I myself have experienced a warm-weather Christmas Eve once, but to be honest, it doesn't feel right to me. I love the winter, the snow, all the traditional customs. Like hot chocolate after a few hours of snowboarding. It warms you from the inside out and gives you power for another round in the snow.

Not too long ago, I created more than 30 soup recipes for Maxima Gourmet Extra magazine. Among them was a chocolate soup, which at this point has trumped my classic desserts like apple crumble and beetroot chocolate cake. I call this one liquid happiness and it's on my menu frequently in the run-up to Christmas - it goes well with or before cookies and makes me feel very festive, particularly on a cold winter's night, when I'm all snug on the sofa in my PJ's with a duvet, just feeling like spooning pure joy into my face. The soup can be served in many different ways, but I prefer a mug - it's the most Christmassy of containers and brings back many memories.

There are more soup recipes to come before the year is out, in particular two upcoming highlights: meat fondue and a hot pot.

Photos by Julia Stix, recipe & food styling by Eva Fischer for Maxima Gourmet Extra, December issue
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Chocolate and Cinnamon Soup

4 Portions

Ingredients:

  • 100g fine dark chocolate (ideally 85%)
  • 100g fine nougat chocolate
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 250ml whipping cream or coconut whipping cream*
  • 300ml milk or plant-based milk like oat drink

*Coconut Whipping Cream:

200ml chilled coconut milk

1 tsp psyllium husk powder

200ml cold water

For the garnish:

  • cinnamon sticks
  • 50g finely grated dark chocolate (85%)

Preparation:

  1. Finely chop both chocolate bars. Combine 200ml whipping cream or coconut milk plus the milk or oat drink and heat up in a pot. Add the chocolate until it's melted. Mix in the ground cinnamon.
  2. For the garnish: whip the leftover whipping cream. For the coconut whipping cream, mix the psyllium husk powder into 200ml cold water and let soak for 10 minutes. Whip up the coconut milk solids with a hand mixer and, while still mixing, add the psyllium husks spoon by spoon.
  3. Serve the chocolate soup in glasses, mugs or bowls, decorated with the leftover whipped cream, grated chocolate and cinnamon sticks.