Chocolate Fondue

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                            FOOD FUNNY
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Here's another true food funny from Lois Thomson:

Some of my friends and I are big hockey fans, and we used to go to
Montreal occasionally to see a hockey game. One particular time we
selected a nice French restaurant where we could have dinner before the
game. I had studied a little French, so I was feeling just a bit smug as
we looked at the menu. My friends couldn't understand a word of it, and
they were asking the waiter about the ingredients of the different
"veau" (veal) dishes. But I merely made my selection without any questions.

This happened probably 25 years ago so I don't exactly remember the name
of my dish, but I was quickly humbled when my dinner came and I realized
it was liver - "fois" - which I despise (and which almost anyone even
without any knowledge of French would know). My friends were oohing and
aahing over their wonderful dinners and sharing bites with each other.
They probably wondered why I didn't offer to have them sample mine, but
I was too embarrassed to let them know how dumb I was.

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                            TODAY'S RECIPE
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Unlike its cheesy namesake, chocolate fondue is not a traditional Swiss
dish, and I have seen more than one traveler met with a blank stare when
trying to order it in restaurants in Switzerland. The only similarity to
cheese fondue is that the chocolate is served warm in a fondue pot or
chafing dish, and pieces of food are speared with long forks and dipped into the warm mixture.

Chocolate Fondue

12 oz (335 g) milk chocolate or semisweet chocolate pieces
3/4 cup (180 ml) half-and-half or mixture of heavy cream and milk
2 Tbs (30 ml) Cointreau, Grand Marnier, or brandy (optional)
Assorted fruits cut into bite-size pieces, such as apples, pears, or peaches.
Favorites of mine are strawberries, pineapple chunks, and bananas.
Consider also using maraschino cherries, seedless grapes,
tangerine or Mandarin orange segments, marshmallows, and pieces of angel food or pound cake.

Combine the chocolate and half-and-half in a heavy pot and melt over low
heat, stirring constantly until the mixture is smooth. Remove from the
heat and stir in the optional liqueur. Serve warm in a fondue pot or
chafing dish with an assortment of fruits and cakes.
Serves 6 to 8.
Received on Wed Mar 10 18:12:06 2010