Cooking
Lee's biggest complaint regarding my cooking is that I "never repeat", meaning I never make the same thing twice. Which isn't true of course, but I know what he means. I'm always looking to improve upon recipes and try something new. So for Valentine's Day I let him choose the menu, something new or a repeat of an old favorite.
For celebratory meals it seems eating in is at least as romantic as eating out, maybe more. And with a few possible exceptions, no matter what ingredients you buy, you'll be hard pressed to spend more than you would dining out. One year I even made platters of seafood--oysters on the half shell, poached shrimp, mussels, smoked salmon, etc. But the biggest hit was the time I made cheese fondue followed by chocolate fondue. So after deciding we'd rather do Valentine's Day dinner at home this year, Lee expressed his desire for "Fondue x 2", which is our menu du jour.
While making cheese fondue can be tricky, making chocolate fondue is practically foolproof and can be whipped up at a moment's notice. Even if you do end up going out for dinner tonight, I highly recommend coming home for this dessert. It's tres romantique. It would also be a lot of fun for kids. There are lots of recipes around for chocolate fondue, but this one is the easiest. I found a version of it in Michael Bauer's The Secret of Success Cookbook, which is a terrific book, by the way. Whatever way you celebrate, have a wonderful Valentine's Day!
Chocolate Fondue
Serves 4
Ingredients
1/2 cup of heavy cream
8 ounces of the best quality dark chocolate, broken into small pieces
A couple tablespoons of liquor, optional
Instructions
Heat the cream gently, take it off the heat when it gets hot, then add the chocolate and leave it alone for a couple of minutes to let the chocolate melt. Then whisk in the liquor and voila! chocolate fondue. The choice of liquor is up to you--Grand Marnier, Kirsch, Kahlua, whatever you like.
As far as equipment goes, you will need a fondue pot or a butter warmer to keep the chocolate the perfect consistency for dipping. What you use to dip is up to you but I like cookies or pound cake, banana chunks and raspberries.
Enjoy!
- Rock On, 1969!
Many years ago, upon receiving a fondue pot as a gift, Matt and I asked an acquaintance "Do we seem like people who would own three fondue pots?" And without pause he answered "YES." We do, by the way. Own three of 'em. It's not the sort...
- Cookbook Review: Great Party Fondues
Mozzarella Surprise: Marinara Fondue Matt & I were told, some years ago, that we were, in fact, people who looked like they'd own three fondue pots... I think it's ridiculous, how fondue has fallen out of favor. That everyone thinks it the...
- Retro Preview: Fondue
Blog Party Retro Party is tomorrow, so we decided to go a bit 'retro' in preparation. What's more retro than fondue? Yummy melty cheese, Tuscan bread, new potatoes, cauliflower, and baby carrots. When Matt & I realized we were the proud...
- Do You Fondue?
Another out-of-season dinner; fondue! I tasted fondue for the very first time not long after I moved to California. Matt, who continues to open my eyes to so many wonderful cuisines, took me to a fabulous little place in Berkeley, Fondue Fred. The atmosphere...
- Cheese Fondue On Sfist
Photo by Melissa Schneider. And what more does one need to say, really? It's the perfect season for warm, liquid cheese, and I decided to sing its praises for my column at SFist. Click through. You know you can't resist. Winter's deep...
Cooking
Chocolate Fondue Recipe
Lee's biggest complaint regarding my cooking is that I "never repeat", meaning I never make the same thing twice. Which isn't true of course, but I know what he means. I'm always looking to improve upon recipes and try something new. So for Valentine's Day I let him choose the menu, something new or a repeat of an old favorite.
For celebratory meals it seems eating in is at least as romantic as eating out, maybe more. And with a few possible exceptions, no matter what ingredients you buy, you'll be hard pressed to spend more than you would dining out. One year I even made platters of seafood--oysters on the half shell, poached shrimp, mussels, smoked salmon, etc. But the biggest hit was the time I made cheese fondue followed by chocolate fondue. So after deciding we'd rather do Valentine's Day dinner at home this year, Lee expressed his desire for "Fondue x 2", which is our menu du jour.
While making cheese fondue can be tricky, making chocolate fondue is practically foolproof and can be whipped up at a moment's notice. Even if you do end up going out for dinner tonight, I highly recommend coming home for this dessert. It's tres romantique. It would also be a lot of fun for kids. There are lots of recipes around for chocolate fondue, but this one is the easiest. I found a version of it in Michael Bauer's The Secret of Success Cookbook, which is a terrific book, by the way. Whatever way you celebrate, have a wonderful Valentine's Day!
Chocolate Fondue
Serves 4
Ingredients
1/2 cup of heavy cream
8 ounces of the best quality dark chocolate, broken into small pieces
A couple tablespoons of liquor, optional
Instructions
Heat the cream gently, take it off the heat when it gets hot, then add the chocolate and leave it alone for a couple of minutes to let the chocolate melt. Then whisk in the liquor and voila! chocolate fondue. The choice of liquor is up to you--Grand Marnier, Kirsch, Kahlua, whatever you like.
As far as equipment goes, you will need a fondue pot or a butter warmer to keep the chocolate the perfect consistency for dipping. What you use to dip is up to you but I like cookies or pound cake, banana chunks and raspberries.
Enjoy!
- Rock On, 1969!
Many years ago, upon receiving a fondue pot as a gift, Matt and I asked an acquaintance "Do we seem like people who would own three fondue pots?" And without pause he answered "YES." We do, by the way. Own three of 'em. It's not the sort...
- Cookbook Review: Great Party Fondues
Mozzarella Surprise: Marinara Fondue Matt & I were told, some years ago, that we were, in fact, people who looked like they'd own three fondue pots... I think it's ridiculous, how fondue has fallen out of favor. That everyone thinks it the...
- Retro Preview: Fondue
Blog Party Retro Party is tomorrow, so we decided to go a bit 'retro' in preparation. What's more retro than fondue? Yummy melty cheese, Tuscan bread, new potatoes, cauliflower, and baby carrots. When Matt & I realized we were the proud...
- Do You Fondue?
Another out-of-season dinner; fondue! I tasted fondue for the very first time not long after I moved to California. Matt, who continues to open my eyes to so many wonderful cuisines, took me to a fabulous little place in Berkeley, Fondue Fred. The atmosphere...
- Cheese Fondue On Sfist
Photo by Melissa Schneider. And what more does one need to say, really? It's the perfect season for warm, liquid cheese, and I decided to sing its praises for my column at SFist. Click through. You know you can't resist. Winter's deep...