Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Egg Cream



A chocolate 'egg cream' has three ingredients; chocolate syrup, milk and seltzer. No one will argue that there is no egg and no cream, however the ingredient brands, recipe formula and preparation are another matter.

The trick in achieving that wonderfully creamy head is to mix the milk with the seltzer first, before adding the chocolate syrup.
When you're ready to add the syrup, you sneak it into the mix along the edge of the glass. Stir slowly, so the bottom of the spoon incorporates the syrup with the seltzer, but the top of the handle does not disrupt the foam. If you stubbornly mix the syrup with the milk first, then add seltzer, you wind up with brown scum on top of a head that is more frothy than creamy.

Egg cream aficionados swear by Fox’s U-Bet syrup, whole milk is recommended (calorie counting is not allowed) for a truly creamy finish, seltzer water (not sparkling mineral water, not club soda) is essential.

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