I can’t believe how lucky I am! I got to be on E! for their Oscar pre-show, called “Countdown to the Red Carpet.” I got to meet hosts Maria Menounos and Ross Mathews, who were amazing! And I got to be on the segment with Sean Lew, my team mate from Food Network’s Rachael vs. Guy Kids’ Cook-Off season 2, and Logan Guleff, the winner of Master Chef Jr. I’m honored!

I made a Dark Chocolate Coconut “Black Hole” fondue, in honor of Stephen Hawking and the movie “Theory of Everthing,” which was up for Best Picture. The fondue is the black hole, and the fruits are stars and planets surrounding the black hole. The fondue uses coconut milk instead of heavy cream, and dark organic chocolate with high percentage of cacao, so it is a healthier option for an Oscar party! Here is an article from E! with the recipe.

The truth is, I wasn’t feeling well the whole weekend. But the energy of the place, and the adrenalin had me feeling great during the segment! I wish I could have stayed longer to watch the rest of the show, but I started to feel bad again so we went back to Sean’s house (he let us stay with him for the weekend) and I took at 3 hour nap! :-0 I heard Logan wasn’t feeling well either – I hope he feels better now! He and Sean did a great job!

Because we stayed at Sean’s house, we were able to film a collaboration cooking video – that will be out soon! 😀

It was such an incredible experience. I had a great time. Thank you, E!

E! hosts Maria Menounos and Ross Mathews took time to hang out with us after the segment.

Maria Menounos is so beautiful! 

Ross Mathews is so nice and funny!

I made a Dark Chocolate Coconut “Black Hole” fondue, in honor of Stephen Hawking and the movie “Theory of Everthing,” which was up for Best Picture. The fondue is the black hole, and the fruits are stars and planets surrounding the black hole. 

Maria loved my fondue! Yay!

I got to do the segment with my friend Sean Lew! 

The stage was full of people and energy!

Maria was so nice, she took time to talk to me after the segment.   

I got to meet Logan Guleff for the first time! 

A cute little girl kept us company after our segment.

They filmed us prepping the food before the segment.

5 from 2 votes

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Dark Chocolate Coconut Fondue

Who doesn’t love dipping stuff in chocolate? I know I do! I made this special treat on the E! Live from the Red Carpet preshow for the Oscars a few years ago, and everybody was in awe! This creamy, chocolaty fondue uses coconut milk instead of heavy cream, and high-quality dark chocolate. The gorgeous coconut cream swirl adds a delicate touch. This is definitely an Oscar-worthy dish.

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 2 cups

Author Amber Kelley

Ingredients

• Favorite dipping fruits such as bananas, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or grapes
• 1 14-ounce/400 g can coconut milk (not coconut beverage), divided
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups/350 g high-quality dark chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Prepare a double boiler by simmering a few inches of water/cm in a saucepan and placing a heat-safe bowl over the pan. Make sure the bowl is not touching the simmering water.
2. While the water is coming to a simmer, wash and cut your fruits so they are bite-size. Arrange them on a plate.
3. Scoop out about a tablespoon of the coconut cream (the thick stuff at the top of the can when you open it) and set aside.
4. Pour about 2/3 of what remains in the can into the bowl, along with the vanilla and chocolate chips. Stir and let the chocolate melt until smooth and creamy. Add more coconut milk if you prefer a thinner fondue. Pour the chocolate into a fondue pot.
5. Melt the reserved coconut cream. You can do this in another (smaller) double boiler or replace the chocolate bowl with a new bowl. It will not take very long for the cream to melt and become smooth.
6. Drizzle the coconut cream on top of the chocolate in a swirl. Taking a toothpick, swirl the coconut cream in the chocolate, creating a pretty design.
7. Serve with fondue picks or bamboo skewers. Dip the fruit into the chocolate, and enjoy!