"I'd
give up chocolate, but I'm no quitter!"
~ Unknown
Chocolate Mardi Gras Fondue
A Year in Chocolate:
Four Seasons of Unforgettable Desserts
By Alice Medrich, 2001, Warner Books, Inc.
“I have
never seen anyone dip anything (even a finger) in chocolate without a smile.
Although this festive, simple party dessert is a year-round opportunity to
use the season’s best and ripest fruit, I am partial to the time between
darkest winter and early spring, when citrus fruit and bananas and dried
fruits cry out for chocolate.”
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
10 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped into
small pieces
1/2 to 3/4 cup milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream
or
1/2 to 3/4 cup milk plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Ideas for dipping
Kumquats or segments of seedless clementines, oranges, or
ruby grapefruit
Chunks of pineapple
Chunks of fresh coconut or large curls of dried coconut
Chunks of banana
Dried fruit such as apricot, mango, papaya, pineapple, or
Bing cherries
Strips of good-quality candied orange, grapefruit or lemon
peel
Cubes of pound cake or angel food cake, or toasted cubes of
brioche or challah
Cigarette cookies, fan wafers, graham crackers or digestive
biscuits, or pretzels
Marshmallows or meringues
Toasted shaved almonds (to sprinkle on after dipping)
Tip: If possible, separate the citrus into segments without
breaking the membrane. If you set the segments on a rack to dry in a warm
place or in the oven, preheated to 200° F., then turned off for several
hours, the membrane will dry like crisp paper and the juices will burst in
your mouth when you
take a bite.
To make the sauce, in a small bowl, combine the chocolate and
1/2 cup milk or cream and melt gently in a barely simmering water bath or
microwave on Medium (50 percent) power for about 2 minutes. Stir until
smooth. Add more liquid if the sauce seems too thick or look curdled. Remove
from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Use warm fondue immediately or set
aside until needed and rewarm briefly.
Choose a selection of fruit and other dippables, with an eye
to variety of color, flavor and texture. And don’t forget to include some
children’s favorites as well, Arrange on a platter or in pretty bowls.
Have forks, skewers, or pretty (or goofy) swizzle sticks
available for guests to dip with. If the fondue gets too thick or cool,
reheat gently (without boiling) for 1 minute in the microwave on Medium
(50percent) power or set in a pan of barely simmering water. Leftover sauce
keeps several days in the refrigerator. It is a prefect topping for ice
cream.
Note:
This is a versatile recipe that can be tailored to your taste and the type
of chocolate you are using. For the most intense chocolate fondue, use milk,
rather than half-and-half or cream, and omit the butter. For even greater
intensity,
choose a bittersweet chocolate labeled anywhere from 66 percent
to 70 percent
and use the greater amount of liquid called for. Butter or
cream results in a
softer, mellower chocolate flavor.
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