Spiced Hot Chocolate

8 cups milk

¼ cup achiote seeds

12 blanched almonds

12 toasted and skinned hazelnuts

2-3 Mexican vanilla beans, split lengthwise, seeds scraped out

¼ ounce dried rosa de Castillo (rosebuds)

2 3-inch canela (soft Ceylon cinnamon sticks)

1 tablespoon aniseeds

2 whole dried serrano chiles

8 ounces 70% dark chocolate

sugar to taste

1. In a heavy saucepan, heat milk with anchiote seeds over medium heat. Bring to low boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and let steep for 10 minutes, until milk is brightly colored with the anchiote.

2. Grind almond and hazelnuts together to the consistency of fine breadcrumbs. Set aside.

3. Strain out achiote seeds from milk and return milk to saucepan. Add the ground nuts, along with the vanilla beans and rosebuds, cinnamon, aniseeds, and chiles. Bring to low boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

4. Stir in chocolate. Taste for sweetness, and add sugar to taste. Strain through a fine mesh strainer.

5. Transfer chocolate to tall, narrow pot and whisk vigorously with a molinillo (wooden chocolate mill) or handheld immersion blender. It adds a wonderful frothy head. Serve immediately.

Steam rose from the boiling water, enveloping the stove in a cloud of moist, tropical heat.

“Hell.” A hand shot out and shoved the kettle off the hob.