Can Chocolate Make You A Better Photographer?

How does a winter drink translate into artistic improvement? Just ask MEG member Colleen Henderson, whose recipe for Cioccolata Calda, a rich Italian hot chocolate, made headlines in a recent issue of the Gazette.

After taking a bookbinding class with Patty Lee at the Pyramid Atlantic Art Center in Silver Spring, Henderson was asked to submit her favorite drink recipe as part of a fundraiser for the center. When her Cioccolata Calda was selected as one of 13 drinks included in "Drink Me," a fun compilation of winter beverages, Henderson was invited to a two-session linoleum print workshop where she made a linoleum print to accompany her recipe in the book.

Henderson says the experience showed her once again that stepping outside your traditional medium to try something new can bring both new skills and inspiration. "To make a linoleum block print, you first need to carve out the areas you don't want inked. Creating that negative space is a different way of thinking as an artist. It forces you to focus intently on structure and composition, two elements that are also critical in photography," Henderson says.

To test out our theory that chocolate does improve your photography, below is Henderson's recipe. Make a batch and while enjoying a cup, let us know what other art forms you've tried that have influenced your photographic work.

Cioccolata Calda (Tuscany Hot Chocolate)

by Colleen Henderson

— 5 tablespoons cocoa powder (Pernigotti or Droste)

— 2 tablespoons sugar

— 6 ounces (70 to 80 percent) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

— 2 cups milk

Place the cocoa powder, sugar, and 3 to 4 tablespoons of the milk in a saucepan and heat until the sugar melts, stirring well to remove any lumps. Boil the remaining milk, and then add to the chocolate mix.

Heat milk to steaming, while whisking thoroughly to incorporate the ingredients. Remove from heat and add the chopped chocolate. Stir to melt the chocolate.