by partysugar 5

Chocolate fondue and Valentine's Day go hand in hand in my mind like cookies and Christmas and pumpkin pie and Thanksgiving. Translation: you just gotta have chocolate fondue around this time of year. Appropriately, today is National Chocolate Fondue Day! Now we have two excuses to make some gooey warm liquid chocolate. A year ago to celebrate Valentine's Day I hosted a fondue party for my girlfriends and I made chocolate fondue and a whole bunch of toppings. I made a vanilla cheesecake cut into cubes, pink heart shaped marshmallows, and had bananas and strawberries. It was beyond good, it was like heaven. For the recipe I used to make my chocolate fondue, read more

Chocolate Fondue
From Tyler Florence

16 ounces chocolate (milk, dark or semisweet), broken in pieces
1/2 pint whipping cream
1/2 cup caramel topping
3 tablespoons Torani hazelnut syrup or favorite liqueur

1. Place all ingredients in a ceramic fondue pot over low heat. Stir constantly until the mixture is melted and smooth. Do not allow to bubble.
2. Arrange an assortment of bite-sized dipping foods on a lazy Susan around fondue pot. Some suggestions are strawberries, bananas, apples, grapes, cherries, pound cake, marshmallows, raisins and shelled nuts.
3. Spear with fondue forks or wooden skewers, dip, swirl and enjoy!

Marshmallows
From Martha Stewart

2 1/2 tablespoons unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

1. Combine gelatin and 1/2 cup cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer with whisk attachment. Let stand 30 minutes.
2. Combine granulated sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 1/2 cup water in a small heavy saucepan; place over low heat, and stir until sugar has dissolved. Wash down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to dissolve sugar crystals.
3. Clip on a candy thermometer; raise heat to high. Cook syrup without stirring until it reaches 244° (firm-ball stage). Immediately remove pan from heat.
4. With mixer on low speed, slowly and carefully pour syrup into the softened gelatin. Increase speed to high; beat until mixture is very thick and white and has almost tripled in volume, about 15 minutes. Add vanilla; beat to incorporate.
5. Generously dust an 8-by-12-inch glass baking pan with confectioners’ sugar. Pour marshmallow mixture into pan.
6. Dust top with confectioners’ sugar; wet your hands, and pat it to smooth. Dust with confectioners’ sugar; let stand overnight, uncovered, to dry out.
7. Turn out onto a board; cut marshmallows into any shape you like, and dust with more confectioners' sugar.

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Makes about 40.

Source: Little Debbie