Cauldron Of Bubbling Cheesy Bean Soup Food

BUBBLING CAULDRON (HOT CHEESE DIP)

Steps:

• Melt cheese in medium saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally.
• Remove from heat, stir in beans and salsa.
• Carefully cut center out of bread, leaving 1-1/2-inch shell.
• Cut bread center into pieces for dipping.
• Reserve 1 pretzel rod, arrange remaining pretzel rods on serving plate to resemble campfire logs.
• Place bread cauldron on pretzels, fill with cheese dip, allowing some to spill over top of bread cauldron.
• Arrange bread pieces and cocktail bread around cauldron.
• Place reserved pretzel rod in cheese dip and serve immediately.

CHEESY WHITE BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Place beans in large saucepot. Add enough water to cover beans by a few inches. Bring to boil on medium-high heat. Simmer on medium-low heat 30 min. or until beans until tender. Let beans cool in their cooking liquid; drain. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat oven to 400°F. Cut off and discard top third of garlic bulb; drizzle with 1/2 tsp. oil. Wrap loosely in foil; place on baking sheet. Bake 40 min. or until tender. Cool completely. Squeeze garlic pulp from bulb; set aside.
• Heat remaining oil in large stockpot on medium-high heat. Add onions; cook and stir 8 to 10 min. or until tender. Add beans, garlic pulp and broth; stir until blended. Bring to boil. Simmer on medium-low heat 15 min.
• Process soup, in batches, in blender until smooth. Return to pot. Add cheese; cook on medium heat until cheese is melted and soup is heated through, stirring constantly.

WHITE CHOCOLATE BUBBLING CAULDRONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously butter six 8-ounce ramekins and place on baking sheet.
• Melt 1 pound chopped bittersweet chocolate in a plastic or glass bowl in microwave oven on low, stirring every 30 seconds, or in the top of a double-boiler over gently simmering water. Remove melted chocolate from heat and set aside to cool. It should be room temperature but still fluid.
• Melt black confectioners' coating in a separate large plastic or glass bowl in microwave oven on low, stirring every 30 seconds, until coating is melted, warm, and smooth. Keep candy warm.
• Beat butter and sugar in a bowl using an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on high speed until mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to blend into the butter mixture before adding the next. Beat in egg yolks one at a time. Continue mixing until batter is thick and lemon-colored, about 3 minutes.
• Pour cooled melted chocolate into butter mixture and mix on low speed, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl, until fully combined. Beat flour, ground pecans, and vanilla extract into chocolate mixture and continue to mix just until batter comes together. Divide batter among prepared ramekins.
• Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove tray from oven. Carefully place 2 or 3 green candy pieces and 1 white candy piece (or more white than green, if desired) in the center of each half-baked cake. Return cakes to oven and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the side comes out clean (do not pierce the centers). Let cakes cool in ramekins for 10 minutes.
• Melt 2 or 3 pieces of the green candy in a small microwave-safe bowl in microwave set on low, stirring every 30 seconds, until green candy is warm and smooth. Let cool until room temperature but still fluid. Whip the heavy cream in a bowl and gently fold cooled green candy melts into the whipped cream.
• Gently unmold cakes onto baking sheet. Carefully dip cakes into black candy coating, or pour it over the cakes to coat. Sprinkle grated chocolate onto a serving platter and place cakes onto the grated chocolate. Spoon a dollop of green whipped cream on top of each cake. Pierce each cake with a chocolate-covered pretzel stick, allowing the bubbling cauldrons to ooze their green and white candy filling. Serve immediately.