El Chocolate de Agua y Pan Marquesote
El Chocolate de Agua y Pan Marquesote·(el cho-co-lah-teh deh ah-gwah ee pahn mar-keh-so-teh)
Mañanas en la Cocina: Breakfasts & Morning Rhythms
In Oaxaca, chocolate is a ritual, not a candy, and certainly not a vehicle for warm milk. The ancestral Mesoamerican method demands water to act as a magnifying glass for the roasted, acidic complexity of the cacao, brought to a foaming spirit with a wooden molinillo. To complete the morning rhythm, there is Pan Marquesote—a dry, fat-free sponge cake from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec made with rice flour, whose sole purpose in the universe is to be torn apart and dunked directly into that spiced, frothy liquid.
Before you start
Bring the separated egg whites to room temperature.
Cold eggs separate cleanly, but room-temperature whites whip into a much better, more stable foam.
Ingredients
- filtered water4 cup
- Oaxacan chocolate tablets150 g
- eggs6 large
- granulated sugar1 cup
- rice flour1 cup
- baking powder1/2 tsp
- fresh lime juice1/2 tsp
Method
- 01
Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare the baking pan.
Grease an 8x8-inch square pan and line the bottom with parchment paper to ensure the fragile sponge doesn't stick.
- 02
Sift the dry ingredients to guarantee an airy crumb.
In a small bowl, whisk together the rice flour and baking powder.
- 03
Whip the egg whites and lime juice to stiff, glossy peaks.
In a large, impeccably clean bowl, beat the whites and lime juice with an electric mixer on medium-high until frothy, then slowly shower in half the sugar; the lime juice acts as a stabilizer and cuts the heavy egg aroma.
- 04
Gently incorporate the egg yolks and remaining sugar.
Lower the mixer speed and add the yolks one at a time, followed by the rest of the sugar, mixing just until the yellow is streaked through.
- 05
Fold the dry ingredients into the aerated eggs by hand.
Put the mixer away and use a rubber spatula to gently fold the sifted rice flour mixture into the eggs in three batches, using a sweeping under-and-over motion to avoid deflating the batter.
- 06
Bake the Marquesote until deeply golden.
Pour the batter gently into the prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out completely clean.
- 07
Cool the sponge gradually to prevent it from collapsing.
Turn the oven off, crack the door slightly, and let the pan sit inside for 10 minutes before removing it to slice.
- 08
Steep the chocolate in boiling water off the heat.
While the cake cools, bring the filtered water to a rolling boil in a medium saucepan, remove from the heat, drop in the chocolate pieces, and let sit undisturbed for 5 minutes so the hot water does the melting.
- 09
Vigorously aerate the chocolate to summon its spirit.
Using a traditional wooden molinillo or a wire whisk, aggressively rub the handle back and forth between your palms to dissolve the chocolate and create a thick, dense layer of foam on top.
- 10
Serve the foaming chocolate immediately with slices of the dry sponge.
Ensure every mug gets a generous spoonful of the foam, ready to receive the torn pieces of Marquesote.
Notes
Finding authentic Oaxacan chocolate is worth a trip to the local Latin market.
Brands like Mayordomo, Guelaguetza, or Chocolate con Alas are widely available in the United States and contain the requisite rustic texture, sugar, and Ceylon cinnamon.
A weeknight substitution can replicate the chocolate's texture in a pinch.
If authentic tablets are completely unavailable, substitute 150 grams of 75 percent dark chocolate, two tablespoons of finely ground almond flour, one Ceylon cinnamon stick, and two tablespoons of sugar.
From Cook Oaxacan in America.