Cookbook Club – Tasting History

After many months of missing Cookbook Club because well, life happens and schedules get busy, I was ecstatic to make it to the October event! We used Max Miller’s Tasting History, which he started as a YouTube channel – sharing historical recipes from around the world so successfully that he followed with a cookbook. Go to my Cookbook Club site for the full peak into the past, and to find out about our surprise guest appearance. For now – my dish!

I have a large quantity of cacao that I hand-picked and processed in Hawaii. I also have access to an abundance of Thai chiles from a friend’s prolific tree. It seemed particularly appropriate to use homegrown ingredients for a recipe from this cookbook, since back in the day I don’t think they were popping into the grocery store to pick up a few things. So when I saw Aztec Chocolate called for cacao and red chiles, it seemed the obvious choice.

The recipe called for “2 red chile peppers”, but that seemed a bit vague given the multitude of varieties of red chiles. My Thai chiles are pretty spicy, so I decided I better just use one (definitely the right choice, as people thought the drink was plenty spicy). I chopped the chile then boiled it in a quart of water for 5 minutes.

After straining out the chile pieces, I mixed vanilla, honey, and allspice into the chile water until dissolved.

I brought the liquid to a simmer, whisked in ground cacao nibs, and continued to simmer for 5 minutes.

The Aztec Chocolate was a hit – people said they really liked the unique flavors, and that it was plenty spicy! Next time I make it I will replace the water with milk (which the cookbook said was available shortly after the time of this recipe), for a richer chocolate drink.