Mexican hot chocolate is usually made from a hockey puck looking disk of bitter chocolate that already has the sugar in it. Usually it is blended with hot water or milk and seasoned with cinnamon and coffee flavors. Canela, the Spanish word for cinnamon, also known as Ceylon cinnamon, is a true cinnamon that is used frequently in Mexican cooking. A native of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), it is also a primary ingredient in Indian, African and Asian foods as well. Its floral, complex taste sets it apart from cassia, the bark that most often substitutes for true cinnamon. The thin and fragile bark of canela makes it highly perishable, so it is best to use and grind it only as needed. Naturally, it is good for myriad sweet dishes like cakes, cookies, pies and ice cream, and is the penultimate accompaniment for anything chocolate.

Ingredients

Fondue:

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons fresh-ground coffee
• 1/2 teaspoon ground Ceylon cinnamon or canela
• 1 vanilla bean, split
• 7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Dippers:

• Regular bananas
• Small bananas, like Manzano or red
• Strawberries, with stem
• Marshmallows
• Toasted cubes pound cake
• Pineapple chunks
• Anjou or Bartlett pear slices, unpeeled
• Fried wonton wrappers
• Bing cherries, with stem

Directions