Mexican Hot Chocolate Fondue

Mexican Hot Chocolate Fondue

1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
3 cinnamon sticks
1 lb. semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 tsp. instant espresso powder
1 tsp. ground chipotle chile
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

In medium pan, mix the cream, milk, and cinnamon sticks. Cook over medium low heat, watching carefully, til small bubbles appear around the edges of the pan. Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes more. Remove and discard cinnamon sticks.
Gradually add chocolate to cinnamon infused cream mixture and cook, stirring til melted and smooth. Stir in espresso powder, chipotle powder, and vanilla.
Continue cooking and stirring over low heat for 1 minutes longer.
Transfer to ceramic fondue pot and set over low flame. Regulate heat if possible to keep fondue warm, not hot. If it begins to boil, turn off the heat.
Serves 8 to 10 or makes 3 cups
Here smooth dark chocolate is mixed with some typical Mexican flavors, including the smoky kick of chipotle chile, just as in Aztec times. Strawberries,k pineapple and mango make excellent dippers, as do banana bread and cinnamon donut holes. You may even use chocolate chip cookies. Cinnamon sticks infuse the cream with a subtle yet distinctive flavor, but if you have none on hand, simply add 1 tsp. of ground cinnamon along with the espresso and chile powders