Yesterday was a balmy 53 degrees...it was beautiful...and now it's gone. On my way to work, it was 31 degrees. By the time I left at 1:00 it was 11 degrees (it was an early out today due to a blizzard warning). This is a most perfect day for lait chaud.

I have been asked by "anonymous" to post my recipe for lait chaud...since I don't know who anonymous is or if he/she has a teapot from Senegal, I'll try to take that into consideration as I write up the recipe as it was given to me.

1. Boil 1/4 of a pot of water, this is for a small pot like the one pictured. If you have the bigger teapot, fill it to about the bottom/middle of the holes where water pours out of the spout. Otherwise, it is a little less than 2/3 cup of water. (Take a piece of paper and twist it and stick it in the spout so it doesn't come out when it boils.)
   
2. Add 17 of the blue mints (if you lived in Senegal - you know which ones I mean - the menthe fraiche ones). I haven't found a US substitute yet because I have a supply from Senegal, but they are simply blue mints that you can suck on when you have a sore throat or just want your breath to smell pretty ("fresh mints").
   
3. Boil the mints until they are all dissolved. (About 5 minutes.)
4. Add evaporated milk until it is almost to the top of the small teapot. (In Senegal, we used UNsweetened condensed milk - which doesn't exist in the States.) It ends up being a little more than 2/3 cup.
5. Add 1-2 packets of vanilla sugar (about 1 Tbsp). I'm not positive this is necessary, sometimes I add more or less, depending on my sweet tooth. :) I don't think vanilla sugar is common in the States -but here is a website where you can buy some: Silver Cloud Estates.
6. Let it get hot and as soon as it boils, take it off the heat.
7. Serve and enjoy!
   

If you have questions or input, please feel free to leave a comment. Enjoy!!