CHOCOLATE FONDUE WITH A TWIST: Valentine's Day!

Yesterday was National Fondue Day! How perfect for February, especially Chocolate Fondue, for Valentine's Day. Fondue is so retro and romantic! Who doesn't like to dip things in chocolate? So pull up two chairs at that mid-century table you found at the Flea Market, and enjoy!

A few tips: You can make everything ahead of time: cut up the fruit, put out the marshmallows, and other dippers. Be sure and have lots of napkins on hand, it can get messy. Fondue pots are readily available at most kitchen stores and many hardware stores, and online, of course. Or.. search the attic or ask your mother. You're bound to find one -- maybe even one that's never been used!

Here are two easy Chocolate Fondue Recipes--with a Twist!

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL FONDUE

Ingredients
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 jar Recchiuti burnt caramel sauce (I'm partial to this sauce)*
3 ounces extra dark chocolate (75% cacao), chopped
Assorted fresh fruit

Directions
Combine condensed milk, caramel sauce, and chocolate in saucepan. Cook over low heat until chocolate is melted.
Put in fondue pot and keep warm.

Serve fresh fruit--strawberries, bananas, pineapple, oranges for dipping!

More suggested dippers: marshmallows, pound cake, pretzels, biscotti

EASY CHOCOLATE BOOZY FONDUE
Adapted from Rachael Ray

Ingredients
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
12-15 ounces dark chocolate bars, chopped
2 Tbsp Amaretto or Kirsch
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts

Directions
Heat 1/2 cup cream in heavy saucepan over moderate heat until cream comes to low boil.
Remove pan from heat and add chocolate.
Let chocolate stand in hot cream 3 to 5 minutes to soften, then whisk chocolate together with cream. Stir in liqueur and chopped nuts and transfer to fondue pot.

Dip fruit and other goodies as above. Use fondue forks, skewers, or seafood forks

CHOCOLATE FONDUE WITH A TWIST: Perfect Retro Valentine's Day Dessert

Fondue is so retro and romantic! How fun would this be for your Valentine's Day dinner? I know there's cheese fondue, but my favorite is, of course, Chocolate Fondue. Who doesn't like to dip things in chocolate? So pull up a chair at that mid-century table you found at the Flea Market, and enjoy!

A few tips: You can make everything ahead of time: cut up the fruit, put out the marshmallows, and other dippers. Be sure and have lots of napkins on hand, it can get messy. Fondue pots are readily available at most kitchen stores and many hardware stores, and online, of course. Or.. search the attic or ask your mother. You're bound to find one -- maybe even one that's never been used!

Here are two easy Chocolate Fondue Recipes--with a Twist!

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL FONDUE

Ingredients
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 jar Recchiuti burnt caramel sauce (I'm partial to this sauce)*
3 ounces extra dark chocolate (75% cacao), chopped
Assorted fresh fruit

Directions
Combine condensed milk, caramel sauce, and chocolate in saucepan. Cook over low heat until chocolate is melted.
Put in fondue pot and keep warm.

Serve fresh fruit--strawberries, bananas, pineapple, oranges for dipping!

More suggested dippers: marshmallows, pound cake, pretzels, biscotti

EASY CHOCOLATE BOOZY FONDUE
Adapted from Rachael Ray

Ingredients
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
12-15 ounces dark chocolate bars, chopped
2 Tbsp Amaretto or Kirsch
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts

Directions
Heat 1/2 cup cream in heavy saucepan over moderate heat until cream comes to low boil.
Remove pan from heat and add chocolate.
Let chocolate stand in hot cream 3 to 5 minutes to soften, then whisk chocolate together with cream. Stir in liqueur and chopped nuts and transfer to fondue pot.

Dip fruit and other goodies as above. Use fondue forks, skewers, or seafood forks

Chocolate Fondue with a Twist

Fondue is so retro! How fun this would be for your romantic Valentine's Day dinner! I know there's cheese fondue, but my favorite is, of course, Chocolate Fondue. Who doesn't like to dip things in chocolate? So pull up a chair at your mid-century table you found at the Flea Market, and enjoy!

A few tips: You can make everything ahead of time: cut up the fruit, put out the marshmallows, and other dippers. Be sure and have lots of napkins on hand, it can get messy. Fondue pots are readily available at most kitchen stores and many hardware stores, and online, of course. Or.. search the attic or ask your mother. You're bound to find one -- maybe even one that's never been used!

Here are two easy Chocolate Fondue Recipes--with a Twist!

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL FONDUE

Ingredients
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 jar Recchiuti burnt caramel sauce (I'm partial to this sauce)*
 3 ounces extra dark chocolate (75% cacao), chopped
Assorted fresh fruit

Directions
Combine condensed milk, caramel sauce and chocolate in saucepan. Cook over low heat until chocolate is melted.
Put in fondue pot and keep warm.

Serve fresh fruit--strawberries, bananas, pineapple, oranges for dipping!

More suggested dippers: marshmallows, pound cake, pretzels, biscotti

EASY CHOCOLATE BOOZY FONDUE
Adapted from Rachael Ray

Ingredients
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
12-15 ounces dark chocolate bars, chopped
2 Tbsp Amaretto or Kirsch
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts

Directions
Heat 1/2 cup cream in heavy saucepan over moderate heat until cream comes to low boil.
Remove pan from heat and add chocolate.
Let chocolate stand in hot cream 3 to 5 minutes to soften, then whisk chocolate together with cream. Stir in liqueur and chopped nuts and transfer to fondue pot.

Dip fruit and other goodies as above. Use fondue forks, skewers, or seafood forks

CHOCOLATE FONDUE WITH A TWIST

February 5 is National Fondue Day, and the best Fondue is Chocolate Fondue. Who doesn't like to dip things in chocolate? An intimate Fondue Party would be great for Valentine's Day, too.

A few tips: You can make everything ahead of time: cut up the fruit, put out the marshmallows, and other dippers. Be sure and have lots of napkins on hand, it can get messy. Fondue pots are readily available at most kitchen stores and many hardware stores, and online, of course. Or.. search the attic or ask your mother. You're bound to find one--maybe even one that's never been used!

Here are two easy Chocolate Fondue Recipes--with a Twist!

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL FONDUE

Ingredients
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 jar Recchiuti burnt caramel sauce (I'm partial to this sauce)*
 3 ounces extra dark chocolate (75% cacao), chopped
Assorted fresh fruit

Directions
1. Combine condensed milk, caramel sauce and chocolate in saucepan. Cook over low heat until chocolate is melted.
2. Put in fondue pot and keep warm.

Serve fresh fruit--strawberries, bananas, pineapple, oranges for dipping!

More suggested dippers: marshmallows, pound cake, pretzels, biscotti

EASY CHOCOLATE FONDUE
Adapted from Rachael Ray

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
12-15 ounces dark chocolate bars, chopped
2 TBSP Amaretto or Kirsch
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts

Heat 1/2 cup cream in heavy saucepan over moderate heat until cream comes to low boil.
Remove pan from heat and add chocolate.
Let chocolate stand in hot cream 3 to 5 minutes to soften, then whisk chocolate together with cream. Stir in liqueur and chopped nuts and transfer to fondue pot.

Dip fruit and other goodies as above. Use fondue forks, skewers or seafood forks

MAD MEN FINALE PARTY: Retro Chocolate Desserts

The finale for Mad Men is tonight. Wasn't this a short season? Love the show, but after waiting for over a year and a half for Season 5, I wish there were more episodes.

Anyway, I want to make something special for tonight's finale. I've posted several different recipes for Retro Chocolate Cakes and Desserts that fit the period (see links below). These are all great mid-century Mad Men mid-century chocolate recipes. Definitely try some for your Mad Men Party.

I have one more addition to the list. Refrigerator cookies were very, very mid-century. My mother loved to make pinwheel cookies, and we loved to eat them. Very mid-century! Love the combination and look of Pinwheel Cookies. Great Mad Men dessert--Spiraling Down. Recipe below. You can easily bake a batch for tonight's viewing!

Retro Chocolate Desserts

Chocolate Coca Cola Cake (Pepsi can be substituted)

Chocolate 7-Up Cake

Dr. Pepper Chocolate Cake

Cool Whip & Chocolate Coconut Cream Pie

Chocolate Fondue

PINWHEEL COOKIES

My mother made these for us during the early Mad Men years, and they were my favorite of all the cookies she made--maybe because of the way they looked, as much as the taste. Refrigerator (icebox) cookies are simple to make. The recipe is from the Settlement Cookbook, my mother's 'other' Bible.

"Refrigerator or icebox cookies are among the quickest to make; the dough is molded into oblongs or uniform rolls, and thoroughly chilled. The roll is then sliced with a gently sawing motion that does not distort the shape. Refrigerator cookie dough keeps well, and the cookies may be sliced and baked in small quantities, as needed."

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sweet sugar
1 egg yolk
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 square unsweetened chocolate (I'm sure my Mother used Baker's), melted

Directions
Cream butter and sugar; add egg yolk and beat well.
Sift dry ingredients and add to mixture with milk and vanilla.
Divide dough in half.
Add chocolate to one part.
Chill.
Pat each into a thin, oblong sheet on waxed paper.
Place chocolate dough over white dough and roll tightly.
Chill until firm.
Slice thin.
Bake on greased cookie sheet in a moderately hot oven (375 F) for 10 minutes.

Chocolate Fondue: A Retro Mad Men Party?

Fondue was very popular in the 60s and 70s, and every bride received at least one fondue pot. I'm sure the new Mrs Draper on Mad Men did.

Fondue and Fondue Parties are making a renaissance, and although I've posted recipes for Chocolate Fondue with Toasted Marshmallows, Avery Aames' Chocolate Fondue with Cheese,  and Chocolate Caramel Fondue, there's always room for another recipe.

Why not have a Fondue Party during the next Mad Men episode. A few tips: You can make everything ahead of time: cut up the fruit, put out the marshmallows, and other dippers. Be sure and have lots of napkins on hand, it can get messy. Fondue pots are readily available at most kitchen stores and many hardware stores, and online, of course. Or.. search the attic or ask your mother. You're bound to find one--maybe even one that's never been used.

Here from a Retro Cookbook--Better Homes and Gardens Fondue and Tabletop Cooking-- is a two-fer recipe page: Chocolate Fondue and Chocolate-Nut Fondue.

Chocolate Fondue with Cheddar: Avery Aames-Book Giveaway

Contest Winners: Amy, Cyn, & Bobbi. Be sure and contact me, so Avery can send you a copy of her book.

Once again my worlds of mystery and chocolate connect! Today I welcome mystery author Avery Aames as Guest blogger.

Avery Aames is the author of A Cheese Shop Mystery series. The first, The Long Quiche Goodbye, is a national bestseller and won the Agatha Award winner for “Best First Novel.” Avery blogs at Mystery Lovers Kitchen,  a blog for foodies who love mysteries. And some of her characters show up on the Killer Characters blog.  You can order LOST AND FONDUE here. Read further for the chance to win a copy.

AVERY AAMES:
CHOCOLATE AND CHEESE What’s not to like?

For those of you who know me, you know right now I’m addicted to cheese. Okay, not addicted, but I’m experimenting with every recipe to see if I can add cheese to it.

For those of you who don’t know me, let me explain. I write A Cheese Shop Mystery series. My protagonist, Charlotte Bessette, is a cheese shop owner in the quaint fictional town of Providence, Ohio. As far as Charlotte is concerned, cheese does a body good. [Remember that old commercial, “Milk does a body good”?]

When Janet asked if I would do a guest blog on Dying for Chocolate, of course I thought of the usual suspects: chocolate cheesecake, cheesecake ice cream, goat cheese brownies. I’ve made them all, and they’re terrific, but my latest book is called LOST AND FONDUE, and I wondered whether chocolate fondue would work with cheese. I made a chocolate and cheese platter for Valentine’s Day, pairing dark chocolates with cheese, and the result was downright sensual.

But fondue? Strawberries work. Apples work. Marshmallows work. But what about cheese?

Guess what? It’s fabulous! I mean fabulous. The cheese held up under the “heat” of fondue. I used two different kinds of cheddar: Collier’s Welsh Cheddar and Hook’s.

A little tidbit about the cheeses. I honestly can’t get enough about the history of cheeses, worldwide. There are enough cheese to have a different one every day of the year (for ten years plus). I’ve barely made a dent in my tastings and I’ve probably sampled more than 200 cheeses in the past two years. For this adventure, I used an American-created cheese as well as European-created cheese.

Hooks Cheddar: The Hooks were college sweethearts. They make their cheese in Mineral Point, Wisconsin. The cheddar I used is a tangy three-year “orange” cheese. They make so many other cheeses and have won awards for them.

Collier’s Welsh Cheddar: Collier’s makes a luscious white cheddar. The recipe is from a generations-old family recipe. The Colliers were miners and cheese was one of the few foods that would last without spoiling down in the mines.

Back to the fondue. The morsels were firm and the chocolate silky and divine.

I’m giving away three signed books today to commenters: your choice of either THE LONG QUICHE GOODBYE or LOST AND FONDUE. So answer me this. Do you prefer dessert to appetizers? Do you like to dine in or out? What is the most sensual meal you can remember…ever? And if you’d like to share, with whom did you dine? I won’t tell more than five of my friends. LOL Enjoy. You have until 5/18 to post a comment. Winners announced on 5/19 on this post.

Links: Collier’s http://www.collierscheese.com/US/about.htm
Hooks: http://www.hookscheese.com/

CHOCOLATE FONDUE WITH CHEDDAR

Ingredients:
1 package (11.5 ounces) Ghirardelli 60% cocoa chips
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon brandy
4 tablespoons heavy cream
4 ounces cheddar cheese, cubed
1 apple, sliced
1 bunch grapes
4-6 cookies
4-6 strawberries

Directions:
Prepare the fruits and cheeses, dicing cheese into ½” cubes.

Prepare chocolate fondue pot. Set out the condiment dishes and heat about a ½ cup water in the lower half of the double-boiler. (I use Sterno to heat the water.)

In a microwave-safe mixing bowl, dump the chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons water.

On medium high (power #7 on my microwave), heat the chips and water for 1 minute. Remove from microwave, stir, and heat again (on medium high) for 30 seconds. The chocolate mixture should be smooth and silky.

Add brandy and cream. Stir. Pour the chocolate mixture into the ceramic fondue pot. Set the fondue pot over the warm water in the double boiler. [*If the mixture is too thick, add a little cream or water. If you prefer not to use brandy, substitute with another liqueur or water.] Keep the chocolate warm throughout the dessert.

Serve with condiments: cheese, apple, grapes, cookies, berries. Skewers required.

[*Note: I used gluten-free cookies that dipped beautifully into the chocolate mixture. This way, everyone, including celiacs, can enjoy the dessert.]