August Pause: Diving Deep into Dark Iced Chocolate (SpiceLines)

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There's nothing like a glass of intense dark iced chocolate to quiet a chattering mind, and end a frenetic summer on a peaceful note.

Monkey mind is what the Buddhists call it.

A mind that's never still. That whirls frantically from one thought to another. That chatters incessantly, to itself and others, about a thousand niggling fears.

At its worst, monkey mind swings from one branch to another, chases its tail, twists and turns, gets tied up in knots.

Do you need to breathe? To feel the merry-go-round slow down, the chatter fade? The knots dissolve?

Time for la pause. Meditate if you can. But if not, there's chocolate.

Deep, darkly mysterious chocolate, so intense it narrows your focus to the glass in front of you. It's cold, of course, because it's hot outside.

Sip. Breathe. Sip. Let go...

Iced Dark Chocolate

I made this with L.A.Burdick's shaved bittersweet hot chocolate from Ecuador which has an intensely earthy flavor. You could substitute any dark chocolate, 68 to 70 percent cacao, finely chopped. Go easy on the milk so as to preserve the flavor of the chocolate.

To serve one.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup milk
6 to 8 tablespoons dark, bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
Ice cubes to fill one glass

Method:

1. Heat the milk in a small saucepan over a medium flame until the steam rises and the first tiny bubbles break the surface. Immediately remove from the heat and whisk in the chocolate, beating briskly until dissolved.
2. Fill a tall glass with ice cubes and pour in the chocolate. Drink slowly, savoring each sip.