Dark and Stormy Fondue

Last night, J and I had a couple friends over to celebrate surviving the storm (and to watch the VMAs).

I grew up loving fondue. Ski trips to Keystone Resort in Colorado were often highlighted with dinner at Der Fondue Chessel. Cooking our own fondue and raclette at the table was thrilling for my siblings and I. Later, my parents bought their own set of raclette grills and fondue pots, and we continued the tradition at home (punctuated by occasional trips to The Melting Pot.) Many delicious meals and many happy memories around fondue. Sunday night, we made two pots of chocolate fondue.

The first was Stormy Fondue.
Ingredients:
1 cup chopped white chocolate
1/4 cup chopped semi-sweet or dark chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup half and half
2 Tbsp Grand Marnier, Kahlua or other liqueur

Directions:
1. Put the cream and half and half in the pot on medium heat.
2. When it begins to simmer, reduce heat and slowly add in the white chocolate. Pour in a little, then stir with a whisk until completely smooth. Repeat.
3. Stir in the liqueur.
4. Remove from heat and transfer to a small fondue pot over a tea light candle.
5. Sprinkle the dark chocolate over the top and swirl into the mixture.

Note: The recipe can be reversed with semi-sweet chocolate as the base and white as the swirl, depending on preference.
Note #2: I also have to confess that the white chocolate we used was an Easter Bunny. From Easter. But it was the right amount of chocolate and still tasted great!

The second was classic Dark Bailey's Fondue.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups chopped semi-sweet or dark chocolate

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup half and half

3 Tbsp Bailey's Liqueur

Directions:

1. Put the cream and half and half in the fondue pot on medium heat. 

2. When it begins to simmer, reduce heat and slowly add in the chocolate. Pour in a little, then stir with a whisk until completely smooth. Repeat.

3. Stir in the liqueur. 

4. Enjoy!

We served everything at the coffee table on my vintage Vera Neumann tablecloth. (Anthropologie, Bloomingdales, Macy's and other retailers sell reproductions from the print collection.) For dipping, we sliced pineapple, apples, strawberries, and store-bought angel food cake cups, though homemade would have been better. The final "palette cleanser" was a Manny's Special, named in honor of the chocolate chip cookie/ice cream sandwiches served at my husband's high school.