Valentine’s Chocolate Fondue Recipe
Silky, dark chocolate fondue recipe. Simple with just two ingredients and lots of ideas on what makes the best dunkables.
I always think of Valentine's day as the end of fondue season - no white shoes after Labor Day, no fondue recipes after Valentine's. A bit strict perhaps - but bubbling pots of fragrant cheese and silky dark chocolate only lend themselves to certain types of blistery weather. Their molten goodness seems to be able to warm you slowly from the inside out. A pot of chocolate fondue on Valentine's Day is the perfect way to get cozy with someone - and kiss winter goodbye with a sloppy, chocolate-smudged smile.
If you don't have a fondue set, you can do it all stove-side. We use our fondue pot a few times a year, so if you think you might make fondue more than once or twice, it really is worth the investment. Spend a little extra money and look for a good, versatile pot that will last a long time. I also recommend picking a color that won't date itself immediately - you are going to have this thing forever. Mine is white, enamel-line cast iron - if you want to personalize it a bit, keep your eyes peeled for fun, vintage dipping forks at flea markets and yard sales. For cheese and chocolate fondues you want to look for a thick-bottomed pot - this helps to diffuse the heat, which helps prevent scorching.
Different things to dip in chocolate fondue:
Fruits: sliced bananas (grilled + caramelized, even better), apples, pears, peaches, pineapples, dried fruit, citrus sections, strawberries, cherries, raspberries, blackberries.
Cakes and other sweet things: angel food cake, graham crackers, marshmallows, tiny brownies, tiny cookies, lady fingers, shortbread, amaretti, biscotti, crystallized ginger chunks, or meringues.
Have other ideas? Leave them in the comments.
Infusing: To make chocolate fondue the technique is pretty straight-forward. You simmer heavy cream and then stir in chopped chocolate over heat. There is the opportunity to infuse the heavy cream in the beginning with whatever accent flavors you dream up - like you do when you are making and ice-cream or gelato base. Some ideas: espresso powder, spices, herbs, fruit purees, or zests. If you are using herbs like mint, you might need to strain them out of the cream, and return the pot to heat before adding the chocolate.
Have fun! Keep your dipping ingredients bite-sized - no bigger than 1-inch square, and spring for good quality chocolate.
Oh! And one last thing. I'm going to Amsterdam next week! Debra from culiblog has hooked me up with all the must-see destinations - I can't wait to share my travels w/ lots of pics and hopefully a recipe or two. Let me know if any of you have any Amsterdam recs for me. I've only been once and it was on an extended lay-over on our way to East Africa....
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Valentine's Chocolate Fondue Recipe
1 pound of premium semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, well chopped
1 1/2 cups of organic heavy cream
Set aside the chopped chocolate. Pour the cream into a medium, thick-bottomed saucepan (or double boiler if you have one) over low heat. Bring the cream to a simmer and add the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is melted.
Transfer the chocolate to a fondue pot and enjoy.
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My favorite thing to dip in chocolate fondue is pound cake. I've also had cheesecake, which is great too. Another tasty thing to do with fondue is pour a little caramel on top of the chocolate, that is really good. Mmmm...
There is the most divine chocolate shop in Amsterdam next door to my favorite arch/design bookshop: Nijhof & Lee. Must go!
it is fantastic
Hope you have a wonderful time in Amsterdam!
Have a wonderful time in Amsterdam!
I made chocolate fondue on New Years Eve and it was great. I couldn't get really excellent chocolate (I live in the boonies and couldn't go to my favorite gourmet place 45 minutes away) so I used Ghiradelli from the supermarket and a tiny bit of Scharfen Berger I had left in the cabinet. I dipped strawberries, 2 kinds of melon, and broken cookies and marshmallows into it. Everyone loved it. It was a huge hit in my house. Since I live in NJ, and it is icey and horrid here we can lift the "no fondue" rule after Valentines' Day because it would make us nice and toasty warm during the whole long winter. Great article. I used less heavy cream than your recipe. Where is it from? Which book?
Now who would say no to chocolate dipped strawberries? Not me.
Fondue is perfect for Valentines day I will definately give your recipe a try- thanks
Mini pretzels or small pretzel rods are brilliant as chocolate fondue dippers, for that salty-sweet combination. Chunks of pound cake are lovely, too, and some people also love small ginger snap cookies as dippers. Pecans and hazelnuts, especially the candied ones, are great too.
There are still MONTHS of blustery weather in my neck of the woods, so this recipe has legs up here! :o)
small chunks of fresh coconut are wonderful and i think pieces of kiwi fruit would be very tasty too
Dried mangos are unreal when dipped in dark chocolate. Dried apricots come close. Another good thing to flavor the chocolate with, if you like hazelnuts, is a spoonful of some gianduja or Nuttella. (Gianduja is a more pure kind of nutella, without as much sugar.)
There's a fondue restaurant near me that makes little cream cheese balls (I'm pretty sure it isn't sweetened) that they roll in cinnamon and sugar to be dipped in chocolate fondue. It's SO good. Almost like a chocolate-dipped bite of cheesecake. They also cut Snickers bars into little bite-size slices. Maybe dipping Snickers in more chocolate is overkill, but I liked it.
Alcohol, like creme de menthe, can seize up your chocolate if you're not careful. Heidi, do you have any tips about when and how when adding the liquor?
yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmy
Pieces of belgium waffles for dipping! My fav...
How perfect! My boyfriend and I have a tradition of making fodnue for Valentine's Day instead of going out, and this will fit in with our at-home celebration beautifully. (I second the above comment about adding booze.) Thank you!
Oh my god Heidi, you're tempting me. I'm currently only eating fruits, vegs, whole grains and beans and though i feel great i wouldn't say no to this chocolate fondue! Love Fanny
A little booze is nice too in chocolate fondue. I've even found the same Kirsch you use in cheese fondue works well with chocolate. Love the crytalized ginger chunk idea as a dipper. I usually use fruit and pound cake.
Thanks for the recipe. I love your ideas for things to dip into the chocolate. Figs--either fresh or dried--are also divine for chocolate fondue... Anything and everything tastes better when it's covered in chocolate! Film Stock
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