Sweet Serendipity!

I thought I saw your face
In the evenin' sky

On a lonesome cloud

That was driftin' by
I wish I could fall

On a night like this

Into your lovin' arms

For a moonlight kiss

-"Moonlight Kiss" by Bap Kennedy

If you've seen the 2001 film Serendipity, you'd know that this song starts playing after Jonathan (John Cusack) and Sarah (Kate Beckinsale) part ways for the first time.  Jonathan realizes he lost his scarf and returns to Serendipity 3 to retrieve it, only to find that Sarah has also returned, having forgotten the cashmere gloves the two previously fought for at Bloomingdale's.  What a fortunate accident!

And if you haven't seen Serendipity, get off the computer, go watch it, and come back here.

Clockwise: Kate Beckinsale, John Cusack, blender, crushed ice, chocolate malt balls, powdered hot chocolate mix, sugar, Hershey's milk chocolat bars, and milk. 

The restaurant featured in the film, Serendipity 3, is best known for its "Frrrozen Hot Chocolate," a delightfully sweet concoction that simply must be experienced first hand rather than read about on the internet.  Unfortunately, for the moment you'll have to read about it on the internet.  For the longest time, I've had to settle for reading about it on the internet.  Every trip to New York City, there was always the intent to go to Serendipity 3.  But it was always missed, largely due to time, distance, and the all-around feeling of "Oh my god, we're in New York City...what should we do first?!?"  So, after the last NYC trip was a bust Serendipity-wise, I decided I'd have to just make the darn thing at home.


Thankfully, the recipe for Serendipity 3's Frrrozen Hot Chocolate has been revealed, after years of being a trade secret.  They still keep mum on the official site, but the recipe (along with many others) is available in their official cookbook Sweet Serendipity: Delicious Desserts & Devilish Dish.  The recipe's been reproduced online as well, at Epicurious, Oprah.com, even ABC News.  Since I followed the directions largely to a T, simply check out the pictures that follow with the official directions.

Ingredients: 

6 half-ounce pieces of a variety of your favorite chocolates

2 teaspoons hot chocolate mix

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 cups milk

3 cups ice

Whipped cream

Chocolate shavings

Preparation: 

Step 1: Do not drool into the chocolate.

1. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place it in the top of a double boiler over simmering water, stirring occasionally until melted. 

Step 2: Do not dip your finger into the chocolate for a taste.

2. Add the cocoa and sugar, stirring constantly until thoroughly blended. 

Step 3: Do not drink the mixed chocolate by itself as it will be really really sweet.  Trust me.

3. Remove from heat and slowly add 1/2 cup of the milk and stir until smooth. Cool to room temperature.

Step 4: Try to think of something funny to add here.

4. In a blender, place the remaining cup of milk, the room temperature chocolate mixture, and the ice. Blend on high speed until smooth and the consistency of a frozen daiquiri. 

Step 5: Marvel at the fact that you've not only made Frrrozen Hot Chocolate, but that you've actually taken the DVD case for Serendipity and put it in a picture frame holder and took a picture like this for your blog.

5. Pour into a giant goblet and top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Enjoy with a spoon or a straw. . . .or both!


Sonic's Additions:

1. For my 6 half-ounce pieces, I used two bars of Hershey's Milk Chocolate (1.55oz each).  Each bar is made to be broken into twelve pieces, but since 1.55 + 1.55 = 3.10, I figured that was good enough.  Instead of using the full second bar, I ate a few pieces of it, and so I had to substitute in some Hershey's Special Dark we still had.


2. I really wish I had a good picture of pouring the milk (which was Lactaid 1%, thus allowing Sandwich to be able to have some).  But since it had to be poured whilst stirring, I couldn't get an effective picture.


3. The consistency wasn't like a daiquiri on my first attempt at blending.  This was because I had measured out two cups of ice for the picture seen at the top, then forgot to put the ice back in the freezer for a good ten minutes.  By the time I realized that, the ice was already crushed and melting.  I put it in the freezer quickly, and when blending time came, I blended the two cups of partially-melted ice with one cup newly-crushed ice.  Next time, I'll remember to not do anything ice-wise until it's time for blending.


4. I had some malt balls that I threw in during the blending process.  I intended to melt them with the rest of the chocolate, but wasn't sure how the malt would affect the consistency.  So I saved it for blending, where I threw in only three or four.  I also used one in place of a cherry at the end.  Instead of chocolate shavings, I used some caramel that Sandwich made.

-Sonic