Dips & Drinks
Crowd-pleasing dips Whether you remember your parents swinging dinner gatherings or images of dipping family-style, fondue was the staple of the 70's party scene. Guess what? This retro fav is making a comeback with the savvy entertainer. Try these crowd-pleasing hip dips:
3 Cheese Fondue
Ingredients:
4 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 1/4 cup Brut sparkling wine
1 large shallot, chopped
2 cups coarsely grated Gruyere cheese
1 1/3 cups grated Emmenthal cheese
3 oz Camembert cheese
Generous pinch of ground nutmeg
Pinch of ground pepper
Baguette, cubed
Directions:
Stir cornstarch and lemon juice in small bowl until cornstarch dissolves; set aside. Combine wine and shallot in fondue pot or heavy medium saucepan; simmer over medium heat for 2 minutes. Remove pot from heat. Add all cheeses and stir to combine. Stir in cornstarch mixture. Return fondue pot to medium heat and stir until cheeses are melted and smooth and fondue thickens and boils, about 12 minutes. Season fondue with nutmeg and white pepper. Place over candle or canned heat burner to keep warm. Serve with bread cubes.
Chocolate Fondue
Ingredients:
2 (3.52 oz.) bars chopped bittersweet chocolate
6 tbsp whipping cream
3 tbsp honey
1 tbsp kirsch (cherry brandy)
1/4 tsp almond extract
pineapple, Mandarin oranges, seedless grapes, sliced bananas pitted cherries
Directions:
On a cookie sheet lay out canned pineapple chunks, Mandarin oranges, seedless grapes, banana slices, and pitted cherries. Freeze the fruit for several hours until hard. In a medium sauce pan, bring cream and honey to a simmer. Add chocolate and whisk until melted. Remove from heat. Whisk in kirsch and almond extract. Pour sauce into fondue pot. Skewer the fruit on your fondue fork and dip into the chocolate fondue. Enjoy!
Sparkling Sippers
Bubbly is great by itself, but it also shines when mixed with other spirits and juices. Here are some delicious cocktails to add a little sparkle to your night:
Peach Sorbellini
- 1 Freixenet Carta Nevada 187 ml
- 3 rounded tsp of Peach Sorbet
Fill a 6 oz. flute 2/3 full of Carta Nevada. Carefully add the sorbet balls and serve the remaining sparkling wine on the side.
Ritz Fizz
- Freixenet Carta Nevada, chilled
- Dash lemon juice
- Dash blue curaçao
- Dash nut liqueur
- Lemon twist
Fill sparkling wine flute with Carta Nevada. Add remaining ingredients and stir gently. Garnish with a lemon twist.
The G Spot
- 2 oz. grapefruit juice
- 2 oz. cranberry juice
- 4 oz. Freixenet Carta Nevada, chilled
Pour ingredients into a flute filled with ice and garnish with a lime twist.
