Who’s in the kitchen: Frozen hot chocolate

Just as I was thawing out from the last cold spell of single digit temps, along with no heat due to frozen pipes, bam, we get hit with another bout of Arctic air and snow to go with it.

There was a time when I loved snow. We would listen to the radio with bated breath to hear the school closings. Yes, kids, we didn’t check the Internet the night before for updates, nor was there a hotline set up by the school. We would have to wait till the principal woke up, checked the weather and decided. These days kids have their day off planned the day before. Too bad, you kids miss all the excitement and anticipation of waking up and waiting for the reporter to list the school closings in your area.

Once we got the news, we would make plans with our friends, which usually involved meeting at a friend’s house or playing in the snow. Today, there are trips to the mall, movies, out for coffee (in my day, kids didn’t drink coffee and it certainly didn’t cost $5 a cup, nor did it have five names to describe it) or out for lunch. In my day, we went out for lunch; nowadays everyone “does” lunch.

Back to the snow, so many memories....Like the first time I wanted to go skiing. My parents asked if it was really necessary. No, but all my friends were going and I wanted to go. So there I was with my wool jacket, jeans and wool gloves and hat. Who knew from ski jackets and pants. One of my favorite Jackie Mason routines is the one when he describes Jews going on a ski vacation. They shop for a month, pack all their designer ski wear and fly to Europe. Once on the mountain, they look down, turn around and hang out in the ski lodge. That would be me, sans the designer ski outfits. Once my skis were on (which is an activity in itself) I made my way up the mountain to start my lesson. As luck would have it, it was 33 degrees and raining on and off all day. I was soaking wet, freezing and had rope burns on my ankles that drew blood because I snow plowed down each run. It was much easier than mastering the correct way to ski. Needless to say, when I walked into my house that night and my parents asked how it was...let’s just say, I deserved a little gold statue on the mantle for my performance of how enjoyable it was.

I didn’t venture onto a mountain many times after that first time. I decided skiing wasn’t for me. My husband did get me to try snow shoeing once--key word, once. There I was, in Vermont, trekking up a mountain and thinking, “What is the point of this sport?” I felt as if my car was stuck and I had to trudge uphill through the snow to get help. Only difference was, I was wearing metal contraptions on the bottom of my bulky boots. I decided during that vacation I was more of a “sit on the deck of a cruise ship in the sun kind of gal.”

Little did I know back then that at about the same time, my future husband Jerry was at Grossinger’s honing in on his winter sports, as well. Seems our moms had the same knowledge of outerwear for winter sports. He and his brother were outfitted in wool dress pants, full length black wool “Shabbos” coat, black Russian Cossack hat and fine leather gloves. There were no worries about spotting them. The fact that they were dressed for shul didn’t hamper their efforts in winning the the Big “G” toboggan race. It took place during college break as dozens of college “jocks” vied for the prize. Not realizing they might be out of their league, Jerry’s mom entered the contest along with her sons. All 6 ft 18-22 year old strapping guys, in their designer ski wear, and then there was Mrs. Joszef with her bee hive hairdo (that added about five inches to her height), clad in an elegant dress coat adorned with a mink collar, leather gloves and dress boots. So there they were, Mrs. J, right out of the Von Trapp family in The Sound of Music, and Jerry and his brother right out of Fiddler on the Roof, the boys in the front and their mom in the back of the toboggan. Jerry described it as two short butterballs and his five-foot tall mom; all built ergonomically perfect for bombing down the toboggan run. When they came in first place, reporters asked Mrs. J what her strategy was in beating all the college students. Her answer, “Eating non stop for the last few days.”

Though I don’t love winter sports, I do love hot cocoa on a cold day. Just so I’m not missing out on the snow, I’ll make myself some Frozen Hot Chocolate.

Frozen Hot Chocolate

(Adapted from Serendipity 3)

n 11/4 cups of good quality chocolate of your choice (can be semi sweet, chocolate chips, milk chocolate, etc. I like to use Shmerling Noblesse semi sweet)

n 5 teaspoons good quality store-bought hot chocolate mix

n 4 tablespoons sugar

n 4 cups milk, any fat content

n 7 cups ice

n Whipped cream

n Chocolate shavings

Place chocolate in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted. Add the hot chocolate mix and sugar. Stir until completely dissolved. Remove from heat and slowly whisk in 2 cups of milk until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.

In a blender, place the remaining milk, the chocolate mixture and the ice. Blend on high speed until smooth and the consistency of a frozen daiquiri. Pour into glasses and top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

Judy Joszef is a pastry and personal chef as well as a party planner. She spent 18 years as a pastry chef at Abigael’s, The Cedar Club, Centro and T42 in the Five Towns, before launching her current business, Soiree. She can be reached at judy.soiree@gmail.com