Chocolate Fondue Recipe

Origin of Chocolate Fondue
The recipe for ‘Fondue’ came from Switzerland. The name is French but the dish originated in ‘Switzerland’. The Swiss are fond of all fondues but especially of cheese fondue, which is had with crusty bread especially in the winters to keep off the cold. Many explanations for why a French name was given for a Swiss dish have been discussed. It has been discussed a lot on the net too and various people have come up with different explanations.

The American Heritage Dictionary proclaims the name comes from the ‘feminine past participle’ of the word fonduer which means ‘to melt’ in French. The chefs have their own glossary which says ‘Fondue’ means simply ‘to melt’ in French. Even if one goes for a tour of Switzerland one get’s lots of knowledge of the country’s culture, cuisine and geography but very little is known about the origin of ‘Fondue’ like for e.g. ‘In which place it originated’ etc. the dish called ‘Fondue’ originated in the Swiss Alps. However, it reached the aristocratic kitchens by way of royal servants who brought it there and the nobles started enjoying this dish a lot.

It was especially served by Swiss bureaucrats to dignitaries visiting from neighboring countries like Austria, Liechtenstein, Italy, Germany and France. The French are experts at naming any dish so the French in order to introduce the ‘Fondue’ to their fellow-men must have named it in their language so that their countrymen can get an idea of the dish which is not their own but originated in their neighboring country of Switzerland. The Swiss are very poor at naming their dishes and only good at making the finest cheese in the world.

Chocolate Fondue Recipes

Swiss Chocolate Fondue Recipe
Ingredients
3 (3 ounce) chocolate bars
½ cup cream
2 tablespoons brandy or vanilla essence (if you don’t like to use alcohol for children etc)

Method
Melt the chocolate bars along with the cream and brandy in thick bottomed pan over low hear stirring continuously till it comes to a boil and then reduce the flame and keep stirring for another 5 minutes. Then remove the pan from the flame and allow the mixture to cool a bit and then pour it into a fondue pot or ceramic dish and serve. It’s served with a slice of angel food cake or slices of orange or wedges of strawberries.

A new version of Chocolate Fondue
Ingredients
8 ounces chocolate bar, which is moderately sweet
4 ounces chocolate bar which is not at all sweet
1 cup cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
½ teaspoon chilly powder
½ teaspoon brandy or vanilla essence
2 tablespoons cream

Method
Grate the chocolate bars and place it in a thick-bottomed pan, then add the sugar to it. Place the pan over medium heat and keep stirring. Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the flame and keep stirring for another 2-3 minutes over low heat. Then remove it out of the flame and keep it down. Cool the mixture for a little while and then add the cinnamon and chilly powder, brandy and finally the cream and stir quickly. Pour it into a ceramic dish if you do not have a fondue pot and serve it slightly hot with some wafer biscuits, angel food cake or strawberries.

Original Chocolate Fondue
Ingredients
One 10 ounce packet of milk chocolate
¼ cup milk
1 tablespoon peanut butter (any brand)

Method
Use a double boiler if you have it or you can use a thick-bottomed dish also but you have to be very careful in case you are using the second option because there are more chances of the chocolate getting burned in the second case. So mix the chocolate along with the milk and keep it on the double boiler and stir the mixture continuously over medium heat. Then remove the mixture from the flame and pour it into a fondue pot and keep it again over very low flame, stirring continuously for around 1 hour. After around 1 hour if you find the done fondue very thick then you can dilute it by pouring some more milk in it. Serve moderately hot with cake pieces, fruits like strawberries or oranges or marshmallows on skewers.

Chocolate Fondue with a Swirl of Rum
Ingredients
7 ounces chocolate (grated)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons yogurt
½ cup cream
1 1/2 tablespoons rum

Method
Melt the chocolate pieces in a double boiler and set aside once it melts by stirring continuously. In a thick bottomed vessel heat the butter, yogurt and cream stirring continuously till the butter melts and blends with the cream thoroughly but there’s no need of reaching boiling stage for this mixture, it should only become hot, just before it bubbles up to boil, turn off the flame and add the rum. Then add this mixture to the melted chocolate and stir slowly until both the mixtures are blended well. Pour it into a fondue pot or if you do not have a fondue pot, any ceramic pot will do. Serve the rum fondue slightly warm with cut fruits or cake pieces or marshmallows.