The secret is to use really great chocolate, and not much else.

James Beard award-winning pastry chef Jacques Torres is so committed to using only the highest-quality chocolate that in 2000 he left the restaurant world to open his own chocolate factory in Brooklyn. Today he has two factories and eight stores where he sells his assorted chocolates, peppermint barks, hot fudge sauce, and other treats. Torres attributes the rich flavor and smooth texture of his chocolate to traditional European production methods, particularly a long conching process. (Conching is when ground cacao nibs are churned with sugar and cocoa butter to balance and intensify flavor. Torres conches his chocolate for up to 72 hours and says many producers only conche for six hours.)

When it comes to hot chocolate, Torres is adamant about using 60-70% dark chocolate of the best quality — all he adds to that is milk, and if you have it, milk powder and cornstarch. "The milk powder and the starch is not necessary but it's a plus," he says. "You get a more velvety and richer drink." And the process is equally important: "Most people boil the milk, add the chocolate stir it and serve it. It's not smooth, the flavor is not developed." Instead, he says, you have to boil it two times: Boil the milk then add the chocolate and boil again. And, chef thinks whipped cream on top is a non-negotiable essential — all his stores offer it for free.

Here are the ingredients you will need to make hot chocolate from scratch:

60% dark chocolate, corn starch, whole milk, heavy whipping cream, milk powder.

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Make the whipped cream topping first: Measure out a cup of heavy cream, pour it into a medium mixing bowl, then put the bowl in the freezer.

Lauren Zaser / BuzzFeed

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