Fred Thompson's Hot Chocolate nominated for Culinary Professionals Award!

The Harvard Common Press is proud to announce that Hot Chocolate: 50 Heavenly Cups of Comfort, by veteran food writer Fred Thompson, is nominated for a prestigious Best Single Subject Cookbook award by the International Association of Culinary Professionals! Winners will be announced at the 2007 IACP Conference in Chicago on the evening of April 14.

Just because the weather is warming up doesn't mean you can't still enjoy hot chocolate. Celebrate the change of season with Fred Thompson's rich and refreshing Summer's Frozen Hot Chocolate! This is a serious cup of cold hot chocolate, and you don't even have to wait until Summer to enjoy it... Easter or Passover are good enough reasons as any to indulge. But do you really need a reason?

To arrange an interview with Fred Thompson or to request a review copy of this book or a high-resolution cover image, please contact Howard Stelzer at hstelzer@harvardcommonpress.com, or call 617-423-5803 x12.

Hot Chocolate
$12.95 hc. ISBN-13: 978-1-55832-290-5
available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and anywhere books are sold.

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The following book excerpt is available to be reprinted, with the following attribution: "Excerpted from Hot Chocolate, by Fred Thompson. (c) 2006, used by permission from The Harvard Common Press."

Summer's Frozen Hot Chocolate:

Probably one of the most famous drinks in New York City is the Frozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity. This celebrity haunt on East 60th Street features a wealth of ice cream inventions, but the frozen hot chocolate really packs them in, especially during the summer. I don't like standing in lines anywhere so I decided to make frozen hot chocolate at home. Serendipity has published its "secret recipe", but you need a trip to Europe to purchase all the chocolates. Here's my version, which makes shopping easier. I don't believe you will be able to tell the difference.

Serves 6

1 1/2 teaspoons sweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
4 cups crushed ice
Sweetened whipped cream for garnish
Grated chocolate of your choice for garnish

1. Place a double boiler over medium heat. Add both cocoa powders, the sugar, and the butter. Whisk until the cocoas and sugar have melted and creamed together with the butter.

2. Add a little of the milk. Add the chocolates, whisking as they melt. Slowly pour in additional milk, reserving 1 cup milk for step 3. Whisk until the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

3. In a blender, make 3 servings at a time. Add 1/2 cup of the chocolate base, 1/2 cup milk, and about 2 cups crushed ice. Blend until smooth, adding more ice or liquid as needed to reach a perfect texture. (Repeat with remaining ingredients or store any unused chocolate base in the refrigerator, covered.) Pour frozen hot chocolate into large goblets and top with whipped cream and grated chocolate. Serve immediately with a straw and a long spoon.

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