Irresistible Almost Sugar-free Caramel Chocolate Truffle Cake

I couldn’t help but share one of my latest discoveries in the science of delicious chocolate….   Happy Birthday or it is even great for the Holidays

Recipes for all the layers are in The Splendid Indulgence of Chocolate Truffles, Sugar free Truffle section, including the almost sugar free caramel.

Chelsea’s Truffle cake review

I just tried something called “chocolate truffle cake.” The concept of it is kind of like a Super Oreo. Imagine a cake that tastes like pure, soft chocolate, then a thick layer of caramel on top of it, then another thick layer of chocolate on top of that!

As soon as you open up the cake packaging, you can smell it immediately. Kind of like when you make fresh cookies and pull them out of the oven – the kitchen is instantly filled with a dense, mouth-watering caramel smell.

What’s great about this cake is I actually feel good while eating it, because I know it’s healthy. When I’m finished eating it I feel full, but my stomach doesn’t have that “heavy-I-just-ate-Thanksgiving-Dinner” feeling of full that most truffles have. It’s more like a satisfied full.

Also, with a lot of chocolate cake or truffles you’re really worried about crumbs. But with this, just because it’s so moist and the chocolate is so amazingly thick, there are absolutely ZERO crumbs (and I would recognize chocolate crumbs since my shirt is bright pink.) This is really convenient, because you can actually wrap the cake up in saran wrap and eat it on-the-go while enjoying a latte! Imagine a cake where you can put the entire thing in plastic and not worry about frosting going everywhere – I swear this is the cake of the future!

I’m infatuated with caramel, and for some reason I never think chocolate caramels ever have enough caramel in them (Even when it’s mostly caramel with very little chocolate) but this cake has this amazing, caramel-bursts-into-your-mouth flavor. It’s just so rich that you immediately feel like your entire mouth is engulfed with fresh caramel, then you have lots and lots of chocolate for your mouth to have fun with.

Also, the chocolate and caramel have really distinct, sweet flavors. A lot of truffles, even though they’re really good, all the different parts of the truffle that had so much potential kind of end up having the same general taste. But with this cake – you can close your eyes and let your tongue pinpoint the chocolate, the caramel, how much chocolate is there, etc. I can actually taste the effort and creativity it took to create it in the first place. Every single bit of chocolate and caramel feels like it was placed there for a really important purpose, like you wouldn’t want to add a gram of chocolate more or less.

Another thing I really like about the caramel is its perfect texture – not too hard and not so soft that it’s runny. The caramel just stays exactly where it is, so you can suck on it, dunk it in coffee, or just bite right into it!

In conclusion, I’m a huge fan of the cake! It’s delicious, moist, and I would really love it on my next birthday!

Low Glycemic Blue Agave Chocolate Truffles

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Low Glycemic Blue Agave Chocolate Truffles

Makes approximately 1¼ pounds or 40 truffles

5 Layer Chocolate Birthday Truffle “Cake”

I thought I’d share my birthday “cake” with everyone. It is also my celebration of the completion of my new book The Splendid Indulgence of Chocolate Truffles. I hope you will see the delight and versatility of truffles; that the photos inspire you and provide eye candy to help you mentally taste the nutty slightly chewy hazelnut  marzipan clinging to a depth of a dark cloud of chocolate softened by creamy white chocolate and tangy pie cherries bursting their flavor and melding with deep dark bittersweet chocolate…

This gluten free “cake”  is really a giant truffle.  It is a combination of 5 layers, most of which I gave you in  previous recipes, but with a difference – different configuration and some different ingredients:  The bottom first layer is dark chocolate ganache made with half Sharffen Berger 99% Cacao and half Ghirardelli 100% Cacao sweetened with blue agave nectar, a low glycemic natural sweetener. The two chocolates balance beautifully with a wonderful richness.

The second layer was a gel made from dried pie cherries soaked in some of my personal homemade Cherry wine (Cherry Pie Wine made with pie cherries and wild dark cherries)  some Bing cherry juice and agar for the gelling agent. (See the recipe for Bing cherry gel for the technique)

The  third layer is a creamy white chocolate ganache spiked with Frangelico Liqueur.

The fourth and top layer is  a dark chocolate ganache made of Sharffen Berger 99% Cacao  sweetened with blue agave nectar. The giant truffle is made in a spring pan lined with a circle of parchment paper on the bottom and a strip of parchment around the sides..

The  entire truffle wrapped in a layer of blue agave nectar hazelnut marzipan (a double recipe) rolled out between sheets of plastic.  The diameter of the marzipan should be at least the diameter of the spring pan plus twice the height of the side of the finished truffle.  The top plastic is removed and the marzipan is slid onto a large plate with the bottom plastic on the plate.

The technique for wrapping the truffle in Marzipan

The truffle is removed from the spring pan and the side strip of parchment is removed.  The  truffle is inverted so that the top of the truffle is placed onto the center of the marzipan.  The bottom circle of parchment is removed.  The truffle is now upside-down on the marzipan which is on a plate. Gather the marzipan around the truffle sides.  Using a dinner knife (don’t use a sharp knife),  Cut the marzipan at the bottom edge of the truffle.  I do this by holding the marzipan sheet (on the plastic) with my hand against the side and pressing the dull knife into the marzipan against my palm.

Then I peel the excess marzipan from the plastic wrap.  Do a few inches at a time until the marzipan is neatly trimmed to the base of the truffle.  Use any excess marzipan to repair any gaps.   Peel back the plastic from the sides only.  Place a serving plate onto the top of the truffle’s bottom and carefully invert the truffle onto the serving plate.  Remove the plastic wrap  from the top of the truffle.  Leave plain or decorate with hazelnut halves.

Since I didn’t want to mar the look of the cake I did without traditional candles.  Instead, I made an extra cake to share with my co-workers.

For information on the recipes, see Cherry Hazelnut Marzipan Layered Dark Chocolate Petit Fours Truffle.  For the white chocolate layer:  In a the top of a double boiler melt 12 ounces of good quality white chocolate with 1/4 cup of heavy cream. When melted, pour in 2 ounces of Frangelico Liqueur.

This truffle “cake” is so versatile  You can make the truffle layers with your favorite chocolate truffle ganache, using traditional truffles, or diabetic safe sugar-free  truffles sweetened with xylitol or blue agave nectar, low glycemic natural sweeteners.

There are plenty of recipes to choose from  in my new book The Splendid Indulgence of Chocolate Truffles. There are also full directions and techniques for each of the types of truffles:  Traditional, Blue Agave Nectar, Sugar-free Xylitol , White Chocolate and Double Chocolate Truffles.  All  the recipes in this book are gluten free and egg free.  At least half of the recipes have a low glycemic index and approximately a quarter of the recipes are sugar free.    With the exception of the white chocolate recipes, the recipes use only dark chocolate, as it is the healthiest, rich with anti-antioxidants so good for your health. There are vegan truffles and substitutes for making truffles vegan.  There is something for anyone who loves chocolate truffles.  I’ve done all the hard work to make it easier for you.

We’ve got a special two-for-all going right now -  If you pre-purchase the spiral bound copy of The Splendid Indulgence of Chocolate Truffles, you will get a free copy of the E-book.  We expect the printed copies to  be ready to go by 1 December this year . Just in time for Christmas!  These will make awesome gifts.  Don’t forget to get one for yourself, too.  As Julia would say, Bon Appetite!

Cherry Hazelnut Marzipan Layered Dark Chocolate Petite Fours Truffles

Cherry Hazelnut Marzipan Layered Dark Chocolate Petite Fours Truffles

In keeping with last week’s hazelnut theme, this week’s  blog will show you how to make an easy, fast,  low glycemic,  gluten and egg free hazelnut marzipan.  While marzipan is usually made with almonds, other nuts make wonderful tasting sweetmeats.   Marzipan is very versatile.  If  any is left over,  use it to dress up breakfast crepes along with fresh fruit.  Roll teaspoon – tablespoon amounts into balls and coat with cocoa, cinnamon or a combination of both to make a sweet treat.  At Christmas time, I often  make a  cardamom Swedish coffee cake and layer the marzipan on the dough, roll  and section it like you would for cinamon buns.

A few weeks ago, in July,  I shared my Bing Cherry layered Chocolate Truffles.  To make it easier for you, I’ve reprinted it here, so you have it all in one place.  The hazelnut marzipan  is an added layer that changes the taste and adds a whole new dimension to the Bing cherry layer.    If you’ve already eaten all the cherries,  skip the cherry layer and you’ll still have an awesome treat.

Cherry Hazelnut Marzipan Layered Dark Chocolate Petite Fours Truffles

Makes approximately 64 one inch truffles.

1 recipe of Easy Blue Agave Nectar Hazelnut paste prepared 1 recipe of Cherry Gel – prepared according to the directions below.

Ingredients for 1 recipe of Traditional Chocolate Truffles

12 ounces dark chocolate for dipping, if desired.   64 Hazelnut halves to decorate.

Easy Blue Agave Nectar Hazelnut Marzipan

Makes approximately ¾ pound of delicious Nut Paste.

1 cup whole hazelnuts, preferably organically grown, without the shells

⅓ – ½ cup blue agave nectar**

½ teaspoon real hazelnut extract or 1-2 tablespoons Frangelico Liquer, optional.

Grind the hazelnuts in a food processor.  Process until nuts are uniformly extra finely ground, almost like flour.

Measure ⅓ cup of blue agave nectar.  Start the processor and slowly pour the blue agave nectar in a steady thin stream.  Continue to process for 60 – 90 seconds, or longer If needed, until the paste looks smooth and uniform.  Add the extract or Frangelico if desired.  Taste it and check the texture.  If too stiff, add more blue agave nectar, a teaspoon at a time until consistency is like a stiff dough that holds together.

It should be smooth with just a slightly chewy texture. If you can detect more than a hint of discernable graininess, process it a bit longer, until it feels almost smooth on your tongue.

Store the nut paste in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks, or freeze it for up to 6 months.  You can make it a day or two before you need to use it – It gives the flavors time to meld and blend.

Bing Cherry Gel Layer

1 ¾ cups pitted cherries , crushed or puréed.  You can puree the fruit in a blender or processor.

- should have about 1½ cups seedless Cherry puree.  Use chlorine/fluoride free water to bring to 1 2/2 cups if necessary.

Sweeten to taste with blue agave nectar or xylitol to sweeten to your taste.  Bing cherry usually needs no sweetening.

3 tablespoons agar agar flakes

Making the Gel:

Place puree into a pan.  Sprinkle agar onto the puree.  Heat the Cherry puree on low heat until it boils.  Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring until the agar agar dissolves.

Line an 8″ x 8″ square pan with parchment or plastic wrap.  Pour the Cherry puree gel into the pan and even the surface.  Chill until firmly set, at least 2 hours.

Chocolate “Petit Fours” Truffles – Assembly

Prepare the Traditional Chocolate Truffles according to the first two steps of “Making the truffles”.  While still warm, pour half of the ganache into the 8″ x 8″ lined pan.  Spread the ganache evenly over the bottom of the pan. Keep the remaining ganache warm over the hot water in the bottom of the double boiler.

Spread half the hazelnut paste in a layer over the chocolate layer.

Invert the Cherry Gel layer over the hazelnut paste. Remove the parchment or plastic wrap.

Spread the remaining hazelnut paste evenly over the top of the Cherry gel.

Pour the remaining ganache over the Cherry layer and spread the top layer evenly.  Place in the refrigerator until set.  (If desired, you can make a single, thicker layer of hazelnut paste using approximately ¾ of the recipe.  It’s not as fancy but tastes just as good.)   Chill for several hours to set.

Cover a flat cutting board with parchment paper.  Invert the layered truffles onto the parchment.  Remove the parchment pan lining from the truffle and discard.

With a long thin sharp knife, square off the sides of the truffle block.  Save the trims for snacking.  Cut the block into approximately 1″ squares.

Serve as is or dip in bittersweet couverture chocolate.   See ” Tempering Chocolate“

Bing Cherry Layered Chocolate Truffles

I’m relaxing, sipping at a three year old homemade Bing cherry Port Wine, while writing this addendum to my routine  Sunday Healthy Chocolate Blog.  Didn’t want to leave you hanging on the Bing cherry addition I promised you a week ago.

I’ve been experimenting with “layered” truffles.

1. They’re easier to make, for us non-professionals (and I count myself in that category)
2. They’re faster to make than filled truffles, if less fancy.
3. I wanted a filling that would stay gelled at room temperature
4. I wanted MORE filling and MORE taste than a filled truffle can give you!

So, building on last Sunday’s traditional truffle recipe (below):

Bing Cherry Layered Chocolate Truffles

Makes approximately 64 one inch truffles.

Ingredients for 1 recipe of Traditional Chocolate Truffles*/** 7/19/09 blog: http://www.sichocolatetruffles.com/2009/07/

Ingredients for 1 recipe of Bing cherry Gel Layer (below)

12 ounces dark chocolate for dipping, if desired.

* To make low glycemic  truffles,  replace sweetened chocolate with unsweetened (99 – 100% cacao) and 1 tablespoon of blue agave nectar per ounce of chocolate; e.g. For 12 oz chocolate:  add 12 tablespoons blue agave nectar , reduce the liquid by 1/4 – 1/2 cup.

** To make sugar-free truffles, replace sweetened chocolate with unsweetened (99 – 100% cacao) and 1 tablespoon of xylitol per ounce of chocolate; e.g. For 12 oz chocolate:  disolve 12 tablespoons of xylitol into the liquid prior to adding the chocolate.

Bing cherry Gel Layer

1 ¾ cups pitted Bing cherries, crushed or puréed.  You can puree the fruit in a blender or processor.

- should have about 1½ cups seedless Bing cherry puree.  Use chlorine/fluoride free water to bring to 1 1/2 cups if necessary.

Sweeten to taste with blue agave nectar or xylitol to sweeten to your taste.  Bing cherry usually needs no sweetening.

3 tablespoons agar agar flakes

Making the Gel:

Place puree into a pan.  Sprinkle agar onto the puree.  Heat the Bing cherry puree on low heat until it boils.  Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring until the agar agar dissolves.

Line an 8″ x 8″ square pan with parchment or plastic wrap.  Pour the Bing cherry puree gel into the pan and even the surface.  Chill until firmly set, at least 2 hours.

Bing Cherry Chocolate Truffle – Assembly

Prepare the Traditional Chocolate Truffles according to the first two steps of “Making the truffles”.  While still warm, pour half of the ganache into the 8″ x 8″ lined pan.  Spread the ganache evenly over the bottom of the pan. Keep the remaining ganache warm over the hot water in the bottom of the double boiler.

Invert the Bing cherry Gel layer over the chocolate layer. Remove the parchment or plastic wrap.

Pour the remaining ganache over the Bing cherry layer and spread the top layer evenly.  Place in the refrigerator until set.  Chill for several hours to set.

Cover a flat cutting board with parchment paper.  Invert the layered truffles onto the parchment.  Remove the parchment pan lining from the truffle and discard.

With a long thin sharp knife, square off the sides of the truffle block.  Save the trims for snacking.  Cut the block into approximately 1″ squares.

Serve as is or dip in bittersweet couverture chocolate.   See ” Tempering Chocolate,”  Blog dated 7/12/09  http://www.sichocolatetruffles.com/2009/07/

Fresh Bing Cherries Stuffed with White Chocolate, Dipped in Dark Chocolate

Cherries…

200 pounds of red ripe cherries!  What in the world would you do with that many cherries?  The day after I pick, I wine in more ways than one, and eat cherries all day long as I rinse off the fruit and remove any stems.  The first 160 or so pounds go into various buckets to make several varieties of cherry wine using different yeasts to bring out different qualities and subtleties in each wine.  Cherry wine is one of my favorites.

So, I took a trip to Eastern Washington this past Thursday to pick around 200 pounds of the most delectable fresh Bing cherries. They are dark wine colored, rich, juicy and delectably ripe, right off the trees; unsprayed, pesticide free fruits.  The cherries are even more of a treat this warm July day, as over 80% of the previous year’s crop was lost to an unseasonably cold spring and several inhospitable freezes.

So what has this got to do with chocolate?

After making hundreds (maybe thousands) of various truffles to perfect and retest recipes for my latest book The Splendid Indulgence of Chocolate Truffles, I am continuing to experiment.  The book will be available as soon as the photos are edited and the index is complete.

I’ve been toying with a different way to make truffles that is incredibly easier and quicker.  Instead of filling the truffles, I am layering them.  They are very attractive to look at and delicious to eat.

With fresh cherries to play with, I couldn’t resist a layered chocolate truffle with a layer of cherries.  I should have a recipe to share with you by next week.

For now, phyto-nutrient rich cherries dipped in tempered chocolate or fondue sounds superb.  They taste so good and are good for you.  Its a fresh fruit, gluten-free, low glycemic,  depending on the chocolate you use,  and what you use to sweeten it with, if anything.

Fresh Bing Cherries Stuffed with White Chocolate, Dipped in Dark Chocolate

Select  a pound of nice plump ripe Bing cherries with stems.  Leave the stems on the cherries and carefully pit them.  Stuff a good quality white chocolate chip into the pit-cavity and dip into tempered chocolate (below) or chocolate fondue ( blog from 06.07.2009) http://www.sichocolatetruffles.com/2009/06

Tempering Dark Chocolate

1 pound (16 ounces) of good quality dark, semisweet, or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped or shaved.  I use Sharffen Berger 99%.  For coatings, I don’t add any sweetener, but you could if you desire to.  Blue agave is the easiest to add a tablespoon or two of and stir into the melted chocolate.  Don’t use chocolate chips for the dipping chocolate. They contain other ingredients and will not temper properly

Put about an inch of water in the bottom of a double boiler ( 5/30/09 Blog: http://www.sichocolatetruffles.com/2009/05/ ) and bring to a simmer.  Place chopped chocolate in the top of the double boiler. Set the top pan over the simmering water.  The bottom of the top pan should not touch the water.  Do not cover the top pan.

Melt 12 ounces of the chopped chocolate in the top of an uncovered double boiler, reserving 4 ounces.

Put a candy thermometer in the chocolate and do not allow the temperature to exceed 100° F (38° C).  Keeping the temperature lower than 99° F (37° C) is best to ensure that the cocoa and cocoa butter won’t separate.

Heat the chocolate over the barely simmering water until it is melted or when the thermometer reads 95° – 100° F (35° – 38°C).

Immediately remove the pan from the burner and remove the top of the double boiler from over the water.  Add 2 ounces (half) of the reserved chopped chocolate to help the molecular structuring.  Stir until the chocolate is fully melted. Add the remaining chocolate and continue stirring until all the chocolate is melted.

Cool until the temperature of the chocolate reaches 83° F (28° C).  Stirring will speed the cooling process.

To complete the tempering process, it is necessary to reheat the chocolate one last time.  Return the top of the double boiler over the hot water and allow the temperature to rise to 90° F (32° C).  The chocolate is now tempered and good for dipping.  Make sure to keep the temperature between 85° and 90° F (29° – 32° C). (White and Milk chocolate should only be brought back to 84° – 86° F (29° – 30° C) for optimal results.)

To help maintain the optimal dipping temperatures, you can alternately remove and replace the top of the double boiler to try to keep the temperature around 86° – 88° F (30° – 31° C) or you’ll lose the temper.  If that happens, you need to cool and then re-temper the chocolate.  If you do you’ll need about 2 – 4 more ounces of chopped un-melted chocolate to assist the structuring process again.

To determine if the chocolate is tempered, drizzle a thin line of the chocolate from the spoon on to a glass plate or stainless steel surface.  The chocolate should set up firm and dry with a matte finish within a few minutes.  Un-tempered or improperly tempered chocolate will remain soft and won’t harden.

Chocolate Fondue: Sweetened Traditionally, Sugarfree or with Blue Agave Nectar

Chocolate is one of the world’s most widespread passions. The typical Swiss eats more than 21 pounds of this candy each year. Even the average Belgian or Brit downs some 16 pounds annually, and here in the United States, consumption weighs in at roughly 11.5 pounds per year.”

Food for thought, Science News Online

OK, as you can see by the statistics above, one thing the Swiss are not neutral on is Chocolate!  Since apparently, some of us haven’t been doing our share, I thought I’d provide a recipe for you that will provide a simple dazzling nutritious dessert year round, a spectacular pot luck dessert or a great topping for ice cream.

The Swiss invented the delectable tradition of fondue.  Dunking bread and crudités into cheeses melted until creamy, spiked with wine and a splash of liqueur.  And since they placed  first in their dedication to chocolate – A chocolate fondue is only appropriate.

There are three versions of the recipe:  One is the traditional easy version with whatever sugar is already added to the chocolate by the manufacturer.  The other two recipes use unsweetened chocolate and then add a natural low glycemic sweetener -  xylitol for a sugar-free fondue, and blue agave nectar for a low glycemic fondue.

Served with fresh fruit, such as berries, nectarines, fresh pineapple, banana, tangerine, orange segments, pears, fresh coconut, even dried fruit or other nuts, if eaten in moderation, makes a healthy dessert that also happens to be gluten-free if you stick with the fruit and nuts.

While serving in a fondue pot isn’t mandatory, it adds elegance and using a fondue pot, with a little flame underneath it serves to keep the chocolate in a fluid state for dipping.  If you don’t have a fondue pot, heat the cream and chocolate in a double boiler or a bowl that fits tightly over a saucepan with approximately an inch of simmering water.  Another option, handy for pot lucks is a small crock pot.  I’ve got one called the Rival “Little Dipper.”  You have to set it on low and watch the temperatures, because crock pots weren’t really designed for the extra low temps required for chocolate.

This recipe is flexible enough for children or adults, depending on the liquid added.

Easy Chocolate Fondue

1½ cups heavy cream

¼ cup cherry wine or brandy (You can replace with cream for a children appropriate fondue or increase the amount of wine by ½ cup and reduce the cream by ½ cup for an “over 21″, low fat fondue. The alcohol will eventually evaporate. )

12 ounces your favorite dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

½ teaspoon real vanilla extract (optional)

Put about an inch of water in the bottom of a double boiler and bring to a simmer.  Set the top pan over the simmering water.  The bottom of the top pan should not touch the water.  Do not cover.

Place the cream in the top section of the double boiler until warmed, 115°- 120° F (46° – 49° C).  Turn off the heat.  Remove the top of the double boiler to the counter and add the chopped chocolate and the vanilla extract to the cream and whisk until smooth and fully incorporated. Stir in the wine or brandy.

Immediately transfer mixture to a fondue pot heated at low or with a low flame, Crockpot heated to low, or serve straight from the top of the double boiler, after returning the top pan over the water to keep it warm, i.e. less than 115° F (46° C).

Arrange the fruit and other dipping tidbits on a platter or plates around the chocolate pot. Use fondue forks, bamboo skewers, seafood forks, or toothpicks or fingers to dip the fruit or other dippers into the hot melted chocolate fondue. Serve immediately.

If the fondue begins to feel a little stiff, add a tablespoon of heavy cream, allow to heat and stir.  This will help it be used to the last drop.  Try not to over cook the fondue if serving over a long period. Don’t expect to have a lot of it left.

Healthy Dippers:

Fresh fruits, Dried fruits – Apricots are particularly delicious,Candied Ginger Slices

Slices of fresh coconut,Fresh Shelled Nuts

For the sugar-free chocolate fondue and the blue agave nectar fondue recipes, see below:

Sugar-Free Chocolate Fondue (Gluten-Free)

1 ½ cups heavy cream

¾ cup xylitol

2 teaspoons vegetable glycerin

¼ cup cherry wine or brandy (You can replace with cream for a children appropriate fondue or increase the amount of wine by ½ cup and reduce the cream by ½ cup for an “over 21″, low fat fondue. The alcohol will eventually evaporate. )

12 ounces unsweetened dark chocolate, coarsely chopped, such as Sharffen Berger 99% or Ghirardelli’s 100% cacao (I mix half of each)

½ teaspoon real vanilla extract (optional)

Put about an inch of water in the bottom of a double boiler and bring to a simmer.  Set the top pan over the simmering water.  The bottom of the top pan should not touch the water.  Do not cover.

Place the cream, xylitol and vegetable glycerin in the top section of the double boiler and heat, stirring occasionally until xylitol is fully dissolved and the cream is warmed, 115°- 120° F (46° – 49° C).  Turn off the heat.  Remove the top of the double boiler to the counter and add the chopped chocolate and the vanilla extract to the cream and whisk until smooth and fully incorporated. Stir in the wine or brandy.

Immediately transfer mixture to a fondue pot heated at low or with a low flame, Crockpot heated to low, or serve straight from the top of the double boiler, after returning the top pan over the water to keep it warm, i.e. less than 115° F (46° C).

Arrange the fruit and other dipping tidbits on a platter or plates around the chocolate pot. Use fondue forks, bamboo skewers, seafood forks, or toothpicks or fingers to dip the fruit or other dippers into the hot melted chocolate fondue. Serve immediately.

If the fondue begins to feel a little stiff, add a tablespoon of cream , allow to heat and stir. This will help it be used to the last drop.  Try not to over cook the fondue if serving over a long period. Don’t expect to have a lot of it left.

Healthy Dippers:

Fresh fruits, Dried fruits – Apricots are particularly delicious, Candied Ginger Slices, Slices of fresh coconut, Fresh Shelled Nuts

Xylitol sources:

Your local health food store, or

http://www.xlear.com/xylosweet/articles/sweetener.aspx

www.EmeraldForestXylitol.com

Blue Agave Nectar Chocolate Fondue (Gluten-Free)

1 ¼ cups heavy cream

¾ cup blue agave nectar

¼ cup cherry wine or brandy (You can replace with cream for a children appropriate fondue or increase the amount of wine by ½ cup and reduce the cream by ½ cup for an “over 21″, low fat fondue. The alcohol will eventually evaporate. )

12 ounces unsweetened dark chocolate, coarsely chopped, such as Sharffen Berger 99% or Ghirardelli’s 100% cacao (I mix half of each)

½ teaspoon real vanilla extract (optional)

Put about an inch of water in the bottom of a double boiler and bring to a simmer.  Set the top pan over the simmering water.  The bottom of the top pan should not touch the water.  Do not cover.

Place the cream and blue agave nectar in the top section of the double boiler and heat, stirring occasionally until mixture is warmed, 115°- 120° F (46° – 49° C).  Turn off the heat.  Remove the top of the double boiler to the counter and add the chopped chocolate and the vanilla extract to the cream and agave and whisk until smooth and fully incorporated. Stir in the wine or brandy.

Immediately transfer mixture to a fondue pot heated at low or with a low flame, Crockpot heated to low, or serve straight from the top of the double boiler, after returning the top pan over the water to keep it warm, i.e. less than 115° F (46° C).

Arrange the fruit and other dipping tidbits on a platter or plates around the chocolate pot. Use fondue forks, bamboo skewers, seafood forks, or toothpicks or fingers to dip the fruit or other dippers into the hot melted chocolate fondue. Serve immediately.

If the fondue begins to feel a little stiff, add a tablespoon of cream , allow to heat and stir. This will help it be used to the last drop.  Try not to over cook the fondue if serving over a long period. Don’t expect to have a lot of it left.

Dippers:

Fresh fruits, Dried fruits – Apricots are particularly delicious, Candied Ginger Slices,Slices of fresh coconut, Fresh Shelled Nuts

Sources of Blue Agave Nectar

Your local health food store

http://oilgold.younglivingworld.com Product Catalog, Product Search: type in blue agave nectar

http://www.blueagavenectar.com

http://www.volcanicnectar.com

Don’t Burn the Chocolate! Use a double boiler

Double boilers ensure slow, even heating for foods like chocolate, custards or sauces that could easily be overcooked or burned when cooked in a saucepan over direct heat.

A double boiler consists of a lower saucepan filled with approximately an inch of boiling water.  It has another pot which sits inside of it, over but not in direct contact with the boiling water.  The steam from the simmering water heats the upper pan and indirectly warms the contents of the pan.

If you don’t have a double boiler, one can be improvised with a regular saucepan and a tempered glass or stainless steel bowl that sits only partially in the saucepan and has at least ¾ inch of air space between the water and the bowl.

Example of Double Boiler

To Use a Double boiler

Fill the bottom saucepan with approximately an inch of water.  Place the top pan or bowl portion of your double boiler inside the pan to make sure it will not touch the water.

Remove the bowl, and heat the water to boiling.  Lower the burner until the water is just barely simmering.

Add the bowl portion of the double boiler, and follow cooking instructions.

When using a double boiler to melt chocolate, it is a good idea to pay attention and watch to make sure that the chocolate is not overheated.  Raw or minimally processed chocolates or cacao must not be heated above 118° F. or 48° C, to protect their nutritive value.  Raw blue agave nectars, have extra nutritional benefits and they should also not be heated above 118° F. or 48° C.  Agave nectar changes when heated above these temperatures.  After that change, it is metabolized differently in the body

Note, that even though there is less danger of over-heating, over-cooking or scorching foods in a double boiler, it can be done.  (And has been, by those of us who are tangentially inclined.) Remember to check your water level in the bottom pan if you are using the double boiler for longer heating periods, such as more than an hour.