Past Newsletters
Vol 5 No8

In Pursuit of Chocolate

Give in to the Heat of Summer...
and Let that Chocolate Cook!

Summertime can be a rough season for all varieties of chocolate products—high temperatures and longer days can strike a fatal blow to your favorite chocolate treats. Still, there’s no reason not to enjoy one of life’s great pleasures despite the heat—all it takes is a little creativity to prepare a refreshing, chocolate smorgasbord that is guaranteed to satisfy your cravings! This month, we’ve selected an absolutely decadent combination of chocolate sensations.

The world-traveling chocolate gourmands at Zingerman’s food emporium in Ann Arbor, Michigan have uncovered two out-standing chocolate fondues made by Swiss Knight of Thun, Switzerland… a country that certainly knows it’s chocolate. Lucky for us, they like to share! The first part of your gourmet experience is two of their delectable fondues. Finely ground hazelnuts in thick milk chocolate is the formula for the first absolutely delicious. As if that wasn’t enough, we’ve included a second fondue with deep dark chocolate reminiscent of ancient Aztec potions, not overly sweet, but certainly not bitter.

Not only are these two fondues awesome to taste, they make preparing an eye-catching, mouth-watering dessert simple. Just pop them in your microwave and serve them with all those delicious fruits that abound this time of year. Now you may be thinking, “Cheese fondue I have experienced, but chocolate fondue?!?” Well, be ready to experience your passion for chocolate on a whole new level! And even if you have previously enjoyed fine chocolate fondue, you will be uncommonly impressed by these tasty versions. And of course, you can eat as much as you want to, because the fruit is good for you!

Note: Stave your temptation to taste these two fondues with a spoon, or you might not have anything left to complement the fruit!

Now here comes the piece de resistance. Your second chocolate marvel is the delectable Chocolate Cherry Bread baked especially for you by the famous Zingerman’s Bake House. Wondering why you received it with fondue? Well, fondue isn’t just for chocolate and fruit! Just place a small piece on your fondue fork, then dip, and you’ll wonder why you haven’t tried this sort of combination before!

Serving Suggestions & Tips for Fondue Fun!

Try Alpine strawberries and bananas, apricots (fresh or dried), pineapple and peach chunks, mangos and melons. We bet you have never tried chocolate fondue with figs or orange segments soaked in Grand Marnier… ravishingly phenomenal! Perhaps you’re a fan of chocolate-covered pretzels? Cover away! Spongy angel food cake nicely absorbs hot liquid chocolate and makes for yet another great treat. Or, for an absolutely sumptuous treat that borders on the obscene, cut a small piece of your favorite rich cheesecake and quickly dip it in the chocolate (not too long, it will disintegrate). Another favorite of ours is dried orange peel, and of course the Chocolate Cherry Bread. Fondue desserts are simple to prepare, but provide practically limitless possibilities and praise from any crowd. Just make sure you have enough, or the crowd may become unruly!

• When you’re ready to warm the fondue, scoop some out of the glass so that it’s not completely full, and pop it in the microwave, but DO NOT warm it by itself—even water heated in a microwave has been known to explode once removed. Just for safety, put a plastic or wooden spoon in the jar and warm it slowly. Periodically stir to even out the heating. And PLEASE be very careful when removing from your microwave. • If it’s a special occasion, stick some sparklers in the fruit and make your entry with a bit of flair!

• If you don’t have fondue forks (most households don’t), just use wooden skewers, or regular forks. You can put different colored tape on each one to avoid confusion.

• Etiquette dictates that you not eat off of your fondue fork—remove your chocolatebathed morsels from the fondue fork by using a separate serving fork. Then skew another fresh sample, and get ready for the next round.

• You can multitask like a pro by eating one decadent treat while preparing the next— thus maximizing productivity and showcasing your efficiency. Who knew fondue could be such a useful tool for developing these important workplace skills? Suggest a fondue party at your next productivity meeting at work—your popularity will soar and your colleagues will learn valuable skills.

• When dipping into fondue, swirl in a figure eight motion. This keeps the fondue from thickening toward the bottom.

• Perhaps the most important part of the presentation (until everyone starts to taste it) is the arrangement of the foods. Forget all of the rules—arrange in any aesthetically pleasing manner you like. Just remember that simplicity is a sophisticated, powerful art.

• Usually we like to prepare several medium sized platters (obviously, it’s important to keep the wet fruits away from the Chocolate Cherry Bread, biscotti, and the likes). Some fruits like strawberries don’t usually need to be cut (unless they are those giant ones from California), and they are much more attractive if they are not cored.

• If you’re really going all out, add some edible flowers! They will definitely stimulate conversation, add color, and be an important design element in your presentation. And they won’t increase waistlines! We all know that will really be appreciated, especially during the summer months!

Chocolate Fondue Enters the Scene

We are not sure when chocolate fondue first came about, but we can certainly credit the Swiss as the inventors of that other celebrated fondue, cheese. Legend has it that the cheese version was spun out from a desire for connection. During the Reformation, it is said that Catholics and Protestants living in Switzerland demonstrated a spirit of reconciliation by sharing food. Some contributed the cheese, and others brought the vegetables and meats, and what we call “fondue” was spontaneously born of good will.

Your guess may be that the French probably took it from there (fondue is the French word for melted), and created a version of the sublime Fondue au Chocolate you will soon be enjoying, and this might be true to a certain extent… but chocolate fondue as it is now known was actually a New World recipe created in 1964 by Konrad Egli, a Swiss-born chef working at New York's Chalet Swiss restaurant. This became a very popular dessert treat, ultimately reinforcing the popularity of cheese fondue and leading eventually to its heyday in the 1970’s.

At that time, it was quite popular to host or attend fondue parties. The presence of a focal point where everyone shares their food is communal indeed, and lent itself nicely to occasions where friends and family would reunite.

Rules of the Road: If a man loses his morsel in the pot, he must buy the next pot of fondue, a round of drinks, or bottle of wine. If a woman loses her morsel, her seating is definitely important, since she must kiss the person to her right!

A Fondue Renaissance?

Not just for the ‘70s anymore—fondue has been making a comeback in the past 5-10 years. With home fondue products rapidly hitting the market, there’s a real ‘slew of fondue’ out there… Throughout the ‘60s and into the ‘70s, fondue remained the focus of friendly get-togethers across the nation. Fondue hit its first heyday in the ‘70s. No doubt, fond memories of jovial fondue dinner parties prompted Bruce Knoechel and Roy Nelson to open a fondue restaurant outside of Orlando, Florida in 1975, which they called “The Melting Pot”. At that time, the menu consisted of two courses: Swiss cheese fondue and beef fondue in the Bourguignonne style (cooking cubes of meat in hot oil). The restaurant became fairly popular, and with the addition of a few more in the late ‘70s, a franchise was born.

In 1985, the concept and franchise was purchased by the Johnston brothers Mark, Mike and Bob, who have turned the Floridabased company into a national restaurant force to be reckoned with. At the time of their purchase, the menu had been slightly expanded to include chicken and importantly, chocolate fondue. As the ‘80s gave way to the health-conscious ‘90s, the Johnston brothers further expanded The Melting Pot’s menu to include lobster, shrimp, pork and duck in the Bourguignonne style, as well as Fondue Orientale, the fondue method of cooking meat cubes in broth.

Today, guests enjoy a choice of four flavorful fondue-cooking styles and a variety of tasty entrees combined with special dipping sauces. The menu also includes creamy cheese fondues, fresh salads, fine wines and absolutely mouthwatering chocolate fondue desserts. Their chocolate fondues are immensely popular, featuring dipping items such as fresh strawberries, bananas, pineapple, plus cheesecake, tasty nutty marshmallows, pound cake and brownies. Items may be dipped in any of eight, count ‘em eight kinds of chocolate dips including their Original: featuring milk chocolate with a hint of nuts; Amaretto Meltdown: with silky white chocolate swirled with Amaretto and flambéed; Cookies ‘N Cream Marshmallow Dream: dark chocolate topped with marshmallow cream, flambéed to toast the marshmallow, and swirled together and garnished with crushed Oreo cookies; Yin and Yang: a mixture of half dark chocolate and half white chocolate, artfully swirled in the same pot; Bailey’s Irish Cream Dream: swirled with Bailey’s Irish Cream and milk chocolate; Flaming turtle: made with milk chocolate, caramel and chopped pecans and flambéed; Chocolate S’Mores: featuring milk chocolate topped with marshmallow cream, flambéed to toast the marshmallow and then garnished with crushed graham crackers (also includes graham crackers for dipping); Pure Chocolate: traditional chocolate fondue made with your choice of milk, dark or white chocolate. If after reading about these sinfully decadent fondues you’re not tempted to get out and find your nearest Melting Pot restaurant, you might want to check to be sure you still have a pulse… search for one in your area at http://www.themeltingpot.com.

Chocolate Cherry Bread… The Slice of Life

A truly unique treat for any chocolate lover, this bread is made from the best Belgian and French chocolate (specifically Callebaut chocolate from Belgium and Valrhona chocolate from France), along with dozens of dried cherries from Michigan, the unofficial cherry capital of the world.

The inspiration for this bread came from “Black Forest Gateaux” which is a chocolate cake made with cherries and cream. A look at this unusual creation may leave you wondering “Is it really bread?” In fact, it is bread–not simply a cake recipe made to look like bread. It is an actual bread recipe, yeast and all, with chocolate and cherries added to it. There is a big debate over whether it’s the chocolate or the cherries that make this bread so impressive. Mo Frechette, a Zingerman’s executive, says this bread wouldn’t be worthy of its remarkable acclaim without the two renowned chocolate ingredients and the incomparable Michigan Cherries.

Not only is this Chocolate Cherry Bread delicious, it is downright addicting to the chocoholics among us. A few minutes in the oven and the chocolate chunks begin melting, the aroma of cocoa fills the air, and anyone within whiffing distance will find themselves powerless to stop salivating. Spread it with just a hint of sweet butter, or set a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of a warm slice. Absolutely delicious! Of course, this bread is great on its own as well–butter, ice cream, or chocolate fondue need not be applied to enjoy this fine gustatory treat.

So Where Do Cherries Come From?

Cherries have pleased the palates of food lovers for centuries. Their ruby-red color and tangy taste won cherries a prominent place on the tables of Roman conquerors, Greek citizens, and Chinese noblemen. Later, French colonists from Normandy brought pits that they planted along the Saint Lawrence River and on down into the Great Lakes area. Cherry trees were part of the gardens of French settlers as they established such cities as Detroit, Vincennes, and other Midwestern settlements.

Modern day cherry production began in the mid 1800s. Peter Dougherty, a Presbyterian missionary living in northern Michigan, planted cherry trees in 1852 on Old Mission Peninsula (near Traverse City, Mich.). Much to the surprise of the other farmers and Indians who lived in the area, Dougherty’s cherry trees flourished and soon other residents of the area planted trees. The area proved to be ideal for growing cherries because Lake Michigan tempers Arctic winds in winter and cools the orchards in summer.

Today, the U.S. cherry industry produces more than 650 million pounds of tart and sweet cherries each year. Michigan grows about 75 percent of the tart cherry crop. Oregon and Washington harvest about 60 percent of the sweet cherry crop. Other states with commercial cherry crops are Utah, Wisconsin, New York, Pennsylvania and California.