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Everything You Need to Know About the Rise in Chocolate Costs
If you’ve been feeling deflated due to the rising Chocolate prices recently, you’re not alone. At Sephra, we understand the impact these costs are having on both businesses and consumers. Naturally, with such a drastic increase, there are many questions! We want to help our customers understand the key reasons behind the surge in Chocolate costs and explain how we are addressing these challenges.
No Cocoa? No Problem. How to Substitute Sephra Chocolate Chips for Cocoa
Out of cocoa powder, but have a delicious chocolate recipe that calls for it?
How To Fountain Cheese Fondue
Are you out of fresh, fun party ideas for the holiday season? Got a chocolate fountain? Then how about cheese fondue?
3 Easy Easter Desserts Guaranteed to Wow
With Easter around the corner, excitement builds as we look forward to getting together with loved ones and enjoying all the festive fun. And let's be real, who doesn't get giddy about the abundance of Chocolate and sweet treats that come with Easter?
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Game-Time Ranch Fondue
Ingredients
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Preparation
Most brands of light ranch dressing will be thin enough to run through the fountain. If regular ranch is being used or if the light ranch is too thick, gradually add milk until fondue reaches appropriate consistency. Yield: Enough to run through the largest home fountains. Multiply quantities by 4 for large commercial fountains. Note: Select fountains hold 5-7 cups of fondue; Classic, Elite, and Signature fountains hold 7-9 cups.Grandpa Pinkal’s Famous Cookies
Ingredients
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Preparation
Spread crunchy peanut butter in between two crackers. Melt White and Dark chocolate in separate containers and then combine, mixing only slightly. Dip cracker sandwiches in chocolate until coated completely. Lay on wax paper to set. Yield: 24 cookiesHazelnut Fondue
A classic European flavor combination.
Ingredients
- 32 oz. hazelnut spread (ie. Nutella)
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil*
- 2 lbs. (1 bag) Sephra Belgian Dark Chocolate, melted
Preparation
Melt hazelnut spread on half-power. Slowly stir in oil until spread reaches consistency of melted Sephra chocolate. Stir in melted chocolate. If fondue still seems thick or takes longer than 10 seconds to run through your viscosity funnel, thin with additional oil. *More or less oil may be needed, depending on the brand of hazelnut spread used. Yield: Enough to run through the largest home fountains. Multiply quantities by 4 for large commercial fountains. Note: Select fountains hold 5-7 cups of fondue; Classic, Elite, and Signature fountains hold 7-9 cups.Make your own Cream Cheese Frosting Fondue
Cheese fondue isn't always savory! Make this cream cheese fondue recipe with just a few simple ingredients. You will need:
- 3 lbs cream cheese (at room temperature)
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 1/2 cups milk
How to make the frosting fondue
Cream the sugars and cream cheese with an electric mixer. Then scrape down the sides of the bowl often to keep mixture smooth. Slowly add the milk until fondue reaches the appropriate consistency. Makes enough for the largest Sephra home chocolate fountains. Just remember to keep the heat OFF!Cream cheese fondue cake ideas
Cream cheese and carrot cake go together like chocolate and hazelnut. So here's a great carrot cake recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction blog. In fact, there are lots of foods that go really well with cream cheese frosting. Here are a few more from the Food NetworkWhat to dip?
If you're going to use the cream cheese frosting as a straight up fondue or dip, try these delicious dunking ideas:- Chocolate chip cookies (or make a whoopie pie)
- Pumpkin cake fingers
- Graham Crackers
- Brownie chunks
- Pretzels or pretzel rods
3 Delicious Holiday Gift Ideas for the Chocoholic in Your Life
With the holidays around the corner, it can be difficult to choose the perfect gift, especially those who already seem to have it all. If there's a chocoholic on your list, however, your task just became easier! Make this holiday special and delicious for the chocoholic in your life with these great gift ideas from Sephra, the chocolate experts!
3 New Chocolate Fountain Venues to Consider
Don't let your chocolate fountain rental business get too comfortable renting to the same clients. Branch out with these three new venues that hold events perfect for commercial chocolate fountains. Once they rent your chocolate fountain, these new markets
are sure to become or produce lifetime clients. Chocolate-Loving Schools What teenager doesn't love chocolate and wouldn't love the interaction of a chocolate fountain at the next dance? Homecoming and prom are two dances where schools could budget for a chocolate fountain rental. Since dance committees are usually formed with students to help decide the direction for the dance, you probably won't have to try very hard to convince these students and teachers that a chocolate fountain is just what their school dance needs. It could also help sell more tickets to students who otherwise might not have bothered to attend. Another avenue to explore is school fundraising events, especially in the private school and university sectors. Discuss the draw of the chocolate fountains and how that can benefit the organization. Especially in these difficult economic times, trying to elicit money from parents and alumni might result in more donations and a higher attendance if a chocolate fountain will be present for all to enjoy. Restaurant Buffet Events Many regular restaurants hold buffet dinners or lunches for special events and holidays to attract more business outside their normal clientele. Approach any of these restaurants with the idea of renting your chocolate fountain for their next buffet event, and they'll probably jump at the chance. Remind them that chocolate fountains not only attract positive attention and satisfy the chocolate cravings of hungry guests, but will help their restaurant stand out in the minds of these patrons who experienced your delicious chocolate fountain and are more likely to return at the next holiday buffet and spread the word. Get in Line at Summer Festivals Most areas in the country view summer as a time to celebrate just about anything. Summer festivals abound, mostly because they are successful at attracting large crowds to enjoy whatever that festival is celebrating. Rent a booth at your local summer festival and offer people a dipping package for a certain price, or different dipping choices, such as fruit and confections, confections and baked goods, or one of each to dip into your delectable chocolate for chocolate fountain. Of course, your business cards or a brochure will be handy so that anyone who tastes your chocolate can find out how to rent your chocolate fountain for their next event.Chocolate Fondue Recipes - Chocolate Dipped…Vegetables?
Perhaps parents will find a new way to get their kids to eat their veggies…by dipping them in chocolate! Chocolate chefs continue to push boundaries and create new chocolate delights using food most people would never associate with chocolate. Read on to see if you’re willing to try chocolate dipped vegetables.
Commercial Chocolate Fountain Health and Sanitation Certifications: Play it Safe with Sephra Chocolate Fountains
Operating any food business successfully means abiding by critical health and sanitation guidelines. To give yourself and your clients peace of mind, choose a Sephra commercial chocolate fountain. It's the only chocolate fountain available on the market that is tested and certified to NSF/ANSI standards!
Easy Fudge Recipe - A Delectable Holiday Tradition
So... the holidays are all about fudge. Am I right? If you don't have a good fudge recipe - you do now. Get the tradition started!
Recipe: White Chocolate Bark with Toasted Pecans
There's nothing better than a homemade gift – especially if it contains our White Chocolate Bark with Toasted Pecans.
How to make traditional Peppermint Chocolate Bark
Peppermint Chocolate Bark is the perfect holiday gift! It's super easy to make but looks VERY impressive.
Hauntingly good Halloween home fountain ideas
[caption id="attachment_2316" align="aligncenter" width="1773"]Apples are one of the easiest food items to dip and coat in a home fountain![/caption]
How to Pair Chocolate Fountains with Wine Tastings
If you offer a client a chocolate-covered strawberry, chances are she will want a glass of champagne to accompany it. Although chocolate and champagne are often associated, open your clients' eyes to the delicious possibilities of pairing chocolate with various wines. Pairing Red Wine with Dark and Milk Chocolate Milk chocolate is milder than its darker counterpart, yet still offers that creamy, rich taste. Sephra's gourmet milk chocolate for chocolate fountains is no exception. If you want to offer clients wine pairing suggestions for this chocolate, you could suggest Pinot Noir or a lighter Merlot, which will especially complement cheesecake bites dipped in milk chocolate. Other alternatives include a Muscat, Riesling or a Ruby Port. These choices shouldn't overwhelm, but instead enhance the flavor of the chocolate. The chocolate itself will return the favor for the wine being sampled. If your clients want dark chocolate for chocolate fountains at their wine tasting, you should recommend a more full-bodied, robust wine. Some of these wines might even possess nuances of chocolate themselves to further complement the decadent chocolate fountain and all its dipping treats. You could pair dark chocolate with a bold Zinfandel or Cabernet Sauvignon, for example. A full-bodied Merlot or Pinot Noir would also pair exceptionally well with the richness of dark chocolate. Choosing the Perfect Complement to White Chocolate White chocolate for chocolate fountains is a lighter, sweeter chocolate with a creamy, buttery taste. White chocolate is more delicate but still pairs well with several wines. You could suggest Sherry or Orange Muscat to help complement the creamy texture of the white chocolate and accent the fruit tone in the wine and chocolate. A bolder choice would be to pair the white chocolate with an oppositely flavored wine like a Zinfandel. This wine will contrast the white chocolate and can work well if you find the right wine. It can be fun to experiment and feel free to get client recommendations that you can pass on to future clients who can't resist the idea of pairing wine and chocolate for their next sophisticated event. Hosting a Chocolate Fountain Wine Tasting Event A traditional wine tasting event usually has a theme, such as Italian red wines, and allows people sample more than one. You could let your client choose one chocolate and five accompanying wines to sample, or for a larger event, choose more than one type of chocolate fountain, such as two smaller fountains, one white chocolate and one dark chocolate. Then, offer a select number of wines for each type of chocolate. Guests will have so much fun sampling the various dipping treats and wine selections that the event will be a success and you will have yet another type of chocolate event to offer your clients.
Ideas for Hosting a Chocolate-Inspired Bridal Shower
A bridal shower is the perfect event for enjoying a decadent chocolate fountain. Typically, bridal showers are girls-only events - making it the perfect time to indulge in a chocolate fountain that is versatile enough to fit into the most formal or most casual bridal shower. Chocolate Fountain for a Formal Bridal Shower There will always be brides who desire a formal, more traditional bridal shower to celebrate her upcoming marriage. A bridal tea is very popular, and a chocolate fountain is the perfect complement to such an event. Using white chocolate for chocolate fountains gives an elegant bridal presentation and will complement the tea and all the succulent treats that accompany a tea party. The chocolate fountain could be topped with fresh flowers and the display table could have small silver julep cups of fresh flowers dispersed among the food trays in shades of white and light pink. A chocolate fountain is the epitome of elegance, and it will blend seamlessly into a formal atmosphere. Chocolate Fountain for a Casual Bridal Shower A chocolate fountain will enhance a more casual bridal shower because it promotes interaction and gives everyone a common activity. White chocolate is always appropriate for a bridal shower, but milk and even dark chocolate shouldn't be overlooked just because of their color. Juxtaposing the chocolate with white and creamy dipping treats like marshmallows, angel food cake, cheesecake bites, and mini muffins all taste great and still have that bridal feel. The table can be decorated with bright colors like various shades of pink, and flower blossoms or petals could be scattered on the table instead of in formal arrangements to signify a more laidback shower. Chocolate Fountain for a Themed Bridal Shower Themed bridal showers are an increasingly popular trend, and being prepared to dress up the chocolate fountain display to match the theme will help you secure more clients. Popular themes include romance, tropical luau, wild with animal prints, and western, just to name a few. People also use colors and patterns to help unite a theme, and going the extra mile to decorate the chocolate fountain display table with theme-appropriate items will result in a successful shower and a satisfied client. For example, if the bride has chosen a western theme, you could use a mini cowgirl hat as a fountain topper, hang shiny sheriff's stars and spurs on rope in a creative banner across the table front, and even wrap twinkle lights around rope to form lassos of light around the food trays and chocolate fountain. As long as you know what type of bridal shower will be hosted, you can match the commercial chocolate fountain décor so that it enhances the atmosphere and lets guests indulge in chocolate dipped treats while celebrating the bride to be.
Grow an (Edible) Mud Pie Chocolate Fountain Station
If your next chocolate fountain rental is for an event centered around kids, such as a birthday party or a family reunion, consider showing kids how to grow a mud pie from your chocolate fountain display. Any adults present will likely have no qualms about joining in with this fun and delicious take on chocolate fountains!
4th of July Party Ideas and 4th of July Desserts - Red, White, and Blue Chocolate
The 4th of July usually comes with fireworks, warm weather and a fun day to relax and celebrate the nation’s independence with family and friends. If you’re planning a 4th of July party, whether it’s a backyard barbeque or a more formal party, let your Sephra chocolate fountains make your event spectacular and delicious!
Chocolate Fountain Dipping Treats for Summer: The "Coolest" Ideas Yet
When the warm sun of summer arrives, most people want to cool down and eat lighter meals, saving comfort food for the colder months. However, chocolate fountains are enjoyed year round, regardless of the season. Following are some ideas for creating a summer spread to accompany your chocolate fondue fountain so everyone leaves refreshed and "cool!"
Luau Party Ideas with Chocolate Fondue Fountains
Are you planning an event that you want to be festive and fun with creative decorations, yet filled with delicious food? Using your chocolate fountains – plus one or both of Sephra’s unique dipping treat displays – will ensure your food is the hit of the party and will keep the atmosphere upbeat.
Creating perfect chocolate covered strawberries
Chocolate covered strawberries are elegant, romantic and delicious treats for two!
Combine Dippable Mini-Cupcakes with Chocolate Fountains to Delight Brides
Cupcakes have become the fashionable dessert, with small cupcake focused bakeries popping up in towns and cities across the nation. Wedding cakes composed of cupcakes is a trend that naturally followed the cupcake phenomenon, so why not delight your next bridal client with tiers of mini cupcakes for her chocolate fountain wedding cake?