Serves a Crowd

Hot Chili Chocolate Dip

by:
January 15, 2011
5
1 Ratings
  • Makes about 1 1/4 cups
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

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Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup interesting red wine (beaujolais nouveau, gamay, pinot noir, malbec)
  • 1/4 cup artisan basalmic vinegar (aged 10-20 years, preferably)
  • 1/8 cup cocoa powder (like Scharffen Berger)
  • 1 tablespoon Aleppo pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon Vietnamese cinnamon, optional
  • pinch of sea salt
  • 1 cup chocolate hazelnut spread (like Nutella)
Directions
  1. Whisk together the wine, vinegar and cocoa. Add the hot pepper, a pinch of sea salt, and the optional cinnamon (for more flavor depth).
  2. 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.
  3. 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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10 Reviews

gingerroot January 17, 2011
This is my kind of dip. YUM! I've actually had tart green apples dipped in chocolate and they were out of this world.
Sagegreen January 17, 2011
Thanks, gingerroot. That does sound good!
cheese1227 January 17, 2011
I was thinking about a sweet dip for this contest might be just the ticket! This looks great.
Sagegreen January 17, 2011
Thanks, cheese. I really love this warm.
cheese1227 January 17, 2011
I could see this bowl surrounded with dried mangos, apricots and banana chips!
Sagegreen January 17, 2011
What a great idea! We actually polished off most of this last night. If we hadn't, I would have photographed it that way! Next time.
Midge January 17, 2011
Yum!
Sagegreen January 17, 2011
Thanks, Midge. I love bread and chocolate together.
JoanG January 16, 2011
Ooh, like a chocolate mole. Love it!
Sagegreen January 17, 2011
Thanks, JoanG. This is bittersweet with the cocoa addition. It hardens up like frosting when cooled. I also warmed it up as a topping for my ginger ice cream.