Author Notes
This is "super" easy to do. I was experimenting with my new aleppo pepper from a wonderful spice store down in Austin. With dip as the theme this recipe emerged right away. I suggest you serve this dip warm in a small "bowl" with multigrain crostini or homemade corn tortilla chips. It could also go well with fresh or dried fruit or toasted nuts. If you wanted even more chocolate for a more bittersweet taste, you could double the cocoa amount for a darker, richer result, as you can see in the ingredient curtain call photo. I prefer the recipe just as written though. This dip is thicker than fondue and has a wonderful "kick" you can control with how much hot pepper you add...which makes it just perfect for the superbowl. - Sagegreen —Sagegreen
Test Kitchen Notes
This comes together quickly and the heat is a surprise because you don’t taste it at first. The Vietnamese cinnamon (aka Saigon Cinnamon), is a new ingredient for me -- it reminds me of Red Hots candy. The cinnamon and pepper add an extra kick. I used expensive balsamic vinegar but given the reduction and powerful flavors in this dip, I’m not sure it’s necessary. We dipped raisin bagels, tea biscuits, oranges and tortillas chips into the chocolate and liked every combination. My resident teenager was a big fan. As directed, keep the dip warm otherwise it thickens up and is no longer easy to dip into or spread. —Angela @ the well-worn apron
Ingredients
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1/4 cup
interesting red wine (beaujolais nouveau, gamay, pinot noir, malbec)
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1/4 cup
artisan basalmic vinegar (aged 10-20 years, preferably)
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1/8 cup
cocoa powder (like Scharffen Berger)
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1 tablespoon
Aleppo pepper, to taste
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1/2 teaspoon
Vietnamese cinnamon, optional
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pinch of sea salt
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1 cup
chocolate hazelnut spread (like Nutella)
Directions
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Whisk together the wine, vinegar and cocoa. Add the hot pepper, a pinch of sea salt, and the optional cinnamon (for more flavor depth).
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In a heavy bottom small shallow pan, bring this mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and reduce mixture by almost half. Stir in the hazelnut spread and heat through without boiling. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
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Serve this dip warm with toasted multigrain bread cubes, crostini of your choice, a crusty bread, or homemade tortilla corn chips. Consider serving fresh fruit and toasted nuts with this, too. You can keep the dip warm, such as on an electric warming plate, a fondue pot (but I hate sterno), bain marie or bagna cauda. Or if needed, you can reheat double boiler fashion...or with a microwave, I would guess, but I don't own one.
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