125 BROADWAY,ORANGEVILLE, ONTARIO 519-942-5908 WWW.KITCHENTOTABLE.COM

Well, winter has finally arrived with a blanket of snow and bone chilling weather.

February is a month when thoughts turn not only to romance, but to the warmth of a blazing fireplace, curling up with a good book and watching the snowflakes fluttering gently through the winter skies.

Many of you will re-member fondues as a trend in the 1970s — but guess what, they’re back, and better than ever. Fondues lend themselves very nicely to casual, informal en-tertaining. After a day of skiing, hiking or snowshoeing, invite friends back to your home, light a blazing fire, and gather around the fondue pot with a fine glass of wine and some great conversa-tion.

You can “fondue” with meats, cheeses and even desserts. Con-sider our feature 3-in-1 fondue by Swissmar-which can accommo-

date all three types of fondues.

February is also the month of romance, and many believe that chocolate, beyond be-ing a wonderful treat, is also an aphrodisiac. I’ll leave that for you to figure out yourself, but we do offer some tips for using chocolate in your baking. Be sure to try our decadent choco-late layer cake — a great crowd pleaser.

Sending you warm wishes,

Sigrid Wolm

From our kitchen to yours!

FEBRUARY 2007 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2

SECRETS FROM OUR KITCHEN

Inside this issue:

Did you know…. Pg 2

Fun Kitchen Toys Pg 2

Product of the Month Pg 3

Baker’s Guide to Chocolate Pg 4

Fondue Etiquette Pg 3

Chocolate Layer Cake Pg 4

Sign up for our monthly electronic newsletter, for all the latest in kitchen trends & products, and for unique recipes and entertaining ideas.

Visit our website at www.kitchentotable.com to subscribe.

FEBRUARY STORE HOURS:

Closed: Monday, February 12th Monday, February 19th

Mondays to Thursdays 10:00 am to 5:30 pm

Fridays 10:00 am to 7:00 pm

Saturdays 10:00 am to 5:00 pm

Sundays—closed

Check out www.kitchentotable.com for classic fondue recipes (cheese & chocolate) and for our Decadent Choco-late Layer Cake recipe.

This February I will be attending Ambiente, the largest consumer goods fair in the world. More than 4600 exhibi-tors from over 90 different countries will be descending on Frankfurt, Germany to present fresh ideas, high-quality products, the latest trends in dining, giving & living. This is the most important international event for the industry and each year designers and trend scouts are invited to exhibit their latest concepts and designs for objects, accessories and living areas. I look forward to coming back with new ideas, new products and the latest trends and sharing them all with you.

UPCOMING EVENT

Saturday, February 24th — 2pm to 3pm Chef Fracchioni’s Culinary Class Series—Winter Soups & Stews The Millcroft Inn & Spa Sponsored by From the Kitchen to the Table

Page 2

SECRETS FROM OUR KITCHEN

Fun Kitchen Toys Be creative with this handy kitchen torch!

This multi-functional tool is a must have!

It’s all in the ‘gel’!

This handy little torch is perfect for browning crème brulee, custards, meringues and bread puddings. Also great for melting cheese and skinning tomatoes and peppers. The anti-flare flame works at all angles. Featuring a childproof safety lock, adjustable flame and detachable stand.

$37.95 each

This multi-purpose scraper/chopper by Good Grips is a welcome addition to any kitchen. Use this handy tool to section dough for pie crusts, evenly portion dough for pastries, and scrape dough from your floured board. Try it for lifting cookies from a cookie sheet, or for chopping vegetables like celery. Featuring a broad, soft handle and stainless steel blade featuring 1” markings for pre-cise measuring. $14.95 each

While traditionally the source of heat for fon-dues were oils, oil has a tendency to flare up and splatter, and it can be very messy.

Trudeau’s fondue gel fuel is much easier and safer to use. Available in a 16-ounce bottle, simply squeeze the bottle into the fondue container to 3/4 full and let cool completely before adding more gel.

$10.99 per bottle

Decorate your cakes with flair!

Did you know…. ...Cocoa has less caffeine than coffee, tea or cola drinks.

...Consumers spend more than $7 billion a year on chocolate.

...Switzerland has the highest chocolate consumption in the world with an average of 10 kg (22 pounds) per person per year.

...15% of US women send themselves flowers on Valentines Day.

...Gruyere cheese, a hard yellow cheese made from cow’s milk, is made in rounds of 60-100 pounds, 2 feet wide and 4 inches thick.

...Fondue was said to be invented for the purpose of using up old cheese and dry bread. The Swiss also found fondue convenient because of the freezing winters and the scarce amount of fresh food.

...Valentines Day was declared an official holiday by England’s King Henry VIII in 1537.

…Only Canada, the US, Mexico, France, Australia and the UK celebrate Valentines Day.

...While the aphrodisiac qualities of chocolate are mostly credited to the sensual pleasure of eating chocolate, recent studies show that serotonin and other chemicals (most notably phenethylamine) can act as mild sexual stimulants!

...Wearing a wedding ring on the fourth finger of the left hand dates back ancient Egypt, where it was believed that the vein of love ran directly from this finger to the heart.

...There are 20.5 million Oreos consumed each day, worldwide.

Featuring a sturdy, flexible, stainless steel blade, the Good Grips icing knife is great for all your icing and dessert decorating needs. The length of the blade provides added reach for icing larger sheet cakes effortlessly. The soft, non-slip handle rests comfortably in your hand. Dishwasher safe. $16.95 each

PRODUCT OF THE MONTH — Fondues are back!

Page 3

VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2

Fondues were all the rage in North America in the 1970’s — it seemed they were the wedding gift of choice for anyone get-ting married during that time period. In fact, you may even have an old one stuck in the back of a cupboard or in the ga-rage.

Today there seems to be renewed interest in fondues. Fon-dues are a casual way to sit around the table for a leisurely meal with family and friends, and seem just perfect for winter entertaining.

Fondue refers to several French Swiss communal dishes shared at the table in a pot ("caquelon") over a small burner ("rechaud"). The term "fondue" comes from the French "fondre" ("to melt"), referring to the fact that the contents of the pot are kept in a liquid state so that diners can use forks to dip into the warmed sauce. While cheese fondues are the best known kind, depending on the type of fondue pot you have, you can enjoy the fondue experience with meats and chocolates, as well.

Classic cheese fondue is traditionally made from a blend of Emmenthal and Gruyere cheeses, white wine and a small amount of kirsch (cherry brandy), into which crusty bread cubes are dipped using a fork.

Bread cubes are great dippers, but you may want to try some of the following dipping variations:

◊ Cubes of mild Italian sausage, kielbasa or salami.

◊ Small cooked baby potatoes (skin on).

◊ Chunks of raw or partially cooked vegetables, like cauli-flower, zucchini, asparagus, broccoli.

◊ Bread sticks wrapped in bacon, thinly sliced ham or prosciutto.

◊ Wedges of dried fruit like figs, apples, pears or apricots.

Great dippers for chocolate fondue include:

◊ Slices of fruit, including mangos, papaya, or clementine wedges; skewers of strawberries, blueberries or raspber-ries.

◊ Mini Rice Krispies squares, sponge cake or marshmallows.

Fondue Etiquette

As with other communal dishes, fondue has etiquette standards ranging from practical to amusing. Some people consider it rude to allow one's lips or tongue to touch the fondue fork, and with meat fondues one should use a dinner fork to remove the meat from the dipping utensil. The "no double-dipping" rule applies here as well; once a taste has been taken of a dipped morsel it should not be returned to the pot. If the bread or fruit is lost in the cheese or chocolate, it is tradition for that person to buy a round of drinks or to be punished in another way.

This beautiful 11-piece stainless steel multi-purpose fondue set by Swissmar has a ce-ramic insert that acts as a double boiler, so you can use one fondue for 3 different types of fondue – meat, cheese and chocolate. Set includes pot, spatter guard, rechaud, ceramic insert, six fondue forks and dual function burner.

$99.99 each

Visit www.kitchentotable.com for our delicious Chocolate Fondue and Classic Cheese Fondue recipes.

125 BROADWAY,ORANGEVILLE, ONTARIO 519-942-5908 WWW.KITCHENTOTABLE.COM

SECRETS FROM OUR KITCHEN Page 4

* All sale items available while quantities last. Price reductions based on regular list prices. No rainchecks.

Chocolate — the nectar of the gods!

In my mind chocolate is the best treat you can have. And I’m thrilled to find out that not only does it have great psychological benefits (it just makes me feel good!), but according to recent studies by the Mayo Clinic, the University of California and Penn State University, chocolate may have some definite health benefits! According to these studies, chocolate is full of flavonoids — a naturally occurring compound found in the cacoa plant, red wine, and fruits and vegetables — which have beneficial effects on cardiovascular health, and are believed to act as antioxidants!

However, not all chocolate is created equal — most milk chocolate con-sumed today is high in sugar and saturated fat and calories! So choose your chocolate carefully — but by all means enjoy in moderation!

A Baker’s Guide to Chocolate

While all types of chocolate are available for purchase, premium high quality chocolate can elevate a dessert from simply good to spectacular!

The following names & designations are used to define choco-late. In general, the higher the percentage of chocolate the more cocoa solids they contain and the richer, darker and less sweet the chocolate will be.

Semi-sweet & bittersweet chocolate (Percentage of chocolate can range from 60%-85%). These can often be used interchangeably in baking, with semi-sweet giving a slightly sweeter result, since bittersweet contains less sugar than semi-sweet.

Unsweetened chocolate (Percentage of chocolate is 99%-100%) This contains virtually no sugar (the 99% may contain a hint of sugar or vanilla for complex flavour). It is extremely bitter and cannot be used interchangeably with semi-sweet or bittersweet.

Milk Chocolate Popular for eating out of hand, it is less widely used in baking. Includes milks solids and a minimum of 10% chocolate liquor.

White Chocolate Technically not chocolate at all since it contains no cocoa solids, only cocoa butter mixed with sugar, milk solids and flavouring.

To ensure a lusciously moist mouthful every time use Calphalon’s classic non-stick bakeware for all your baking needs. The 9” round classic cake pan is ideal for baking our chocolate cake. The heavyweight, aluminized steel distributes heat evenly, eliminating burned edges and lopsided layers. Cakes release cleanly and completely due to the reliable nonstick surface. Dishwasher safe.

9” round cake pan $24.95

Our favourite classic chocolate layer cake! For a special treat, visit our website for the most decadent chocolate cake recipe ever! www.kitchentotable.com