Decadent Chocolate Fondue

Chocolate Fruit FondueWhether you are planning an intimate dinner for two or a large party, a chocolate fondue is a fun dessert.

  • 400 grams bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) whipping cream
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste

Preheat fondue maker for one minute. Put chocolate, cream and cayenne into fondue pot. Heat on low, stirring until smooth, approximately 2 minutes. If mixture becomes too thick, stir in a little more cream.

Great dippers include strawberries, pound cake, apple or banana slices, melon balls, marshmallows, grapes, pineapple chunks, dried apricots, orange slices, dried mango. Cut the dippers into bite-sized pieces. Leave small fruits whole.

Arrange dippers attractively on a platter or individual plates. Guests choose their dippers, securing them on a fondue fork, and then dip into chocolate.

Tip: Juicy fruits such as pineapple need to be dried with a paper towel, since the chocolate will not adhere properly to wet fruits. Dipping raw fruit in lemon juice prevents browning.

Be sure to use a good quality chocolate such as Lindt, Toblerone, Callebaut, Gherardelli or Cacao Barry. Consider adding 3 tbsp. liqueur, such as Grand Marnier, Contreau, Kirsch, Brandy or Kahlua, to your fondue if desired.

Semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate tastes much better than milk chocolate when using in a fondue.

Fondue Etiquette

Chocolate Fondue and EtiquetteProper dipping technique:
Spear your “dipper” with your fondue fork and dip it into the fondue pot to coat. Remove the “dipper” from the fondue, but continue to hold over the pot for a few seconds in order to allow any drips to fall back into the pot. If you are worried about drips, use a serviette or small plate underneath your fork as you remove the “dipper” from the pot.

Take your turn:
Fondue etiquette recommends not dipping when someone else is. Everyone deserves their own time in the pot! Decide at the outset which way the dipping will go -- clockwise or counter-clockwise -- and stick with this system throughout the evening.

Don’t blow on your food to cool it:
It’s probably not a good idea to blow on your food to cool it down. Rather, wait a few seconds and allow it to cool naturally.

Don’t touch the fork with your mouth:
Because you will be using the fork again throughout the evening, be sure not to touch your fork to your lips or tongue. It’s often best to remove the food from your “dipping fork” to an “eating fork” to avoid issues.

No double dipping:
Okay everyone has seen the Seinfeld episode, so there’s probably no need to explain the issue of “double dipping”. But very simply, taking a bite and then dipping it back in the pot is as bad as touching the fork to your mouth!

No finger dipping, please:
Not only is this rude, you run the risk of burning your fingers. We have fondue forks to avoid this issue!

Don’t drop your food in the fondue:
Not a big deal, but if food gets dropped in the pot, it makes it messy and less appealing for others as they continue to dip. And there are a couple of traditions that follow from dropping food in the fondue pot. One tradition says that if you drop food in the pot, you have to buy the next round of drinks! Another says that a woman who drops food into the pot has to kiss the person sitting beside her!

Did you know?

  • The top chocolate loving nations in the world are: Switzerland, Austria, Ireland, Germany and Norway.
  • James Beard, the dean of American cookery, once said “a steaming cup of hot chocolate with buttered toast is surely one of the most heart warming, body-warming, and taste-satisfying combinations known to man.”
  • An eight ounce cup of hot chocolate contains only 9 mg of caffeine, compared to an eight ounce cup of coffee which can contain up to 133 mg of caffeine.
  • A study conducted by Cornell University showed that hot chocolate contains more antioxidants than wine and tea!
  • In Belgium and some other areas in Europe, if you order a “warme chocolade” or “chocolat chaud” you will receive a cup of steamed milk and a small bowl of bittersweet chocolate chips to dissolve in the milk.
  • The Aztec emperor, Montezuma, is said to have drank 50 goblets of chocolate per day!
  • 71% of North American chocolate eaters prefer milk chocolate!
  • Hot chocolate and churros is the traditional working man’s breakfast in Spain.
  • More chocolate is consumed in the winter than any other season.
  • 66% of chocolate is consumed between meals.