Chocolate Fondue

Somewhere along the line, we picked up a cute little fondue set. The following Valentine’s Day, we first experimented with chocolate fondue – thus beginning  what became a yearly tradition in our family.

Before the fondue set came into our home, we used to enjoy a nice Valentines-y dinner with some desert – probably chocolate, although to be honest, I don’t recall. Once we started making the fondue, the dinner lost its star status as everyone wanted to save room for the fondue.

Over the years, the fondue selections have grown from a few simple fruits to become much more varied as we try out different flavors and textures to swirl through the molten chocolate.

Though it’s quite simple to make, it feels quite a  luxurious dessert. I usually use good chocolate even for every day uses, but for this I splurge on even better quality chocolate and buy strawberries out of season – something I don’t normally do, but by February it is possible to get decent ones from warmer climates not too far afield

No matter what we experiement with on any given year, there are a few staple choices for  dipping items – mainly fruit, though marshmallows are often included since they are  a favorite of one particular family member.

Besides strawberries, I usually include whatever other fruits are available at the time and seem like they would work well. I’ve tried cookie/cake type things, like lady fingers or shortbread when I’ve had them on hand, but the fruits are more popular.

Chocolate Fondue

1 cup heavy cream
12 ounces good quality dark chocolate, chopped (I used Callebaut)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Heat the cream in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until hot, about 2 to 3 minutes. When hot, add the chocolate and stir until it is just melted and smooth. Stir in vanilla.

Transfer to a warm ceramic fondue pot and thoroughly enjoy 🙂