Chocolate Fondue & Fruit

What better way to share chocolate and fruit than with fondue? Festive and fun, this is a lovely thing to serve for gatherings and during the holidays.

On a beautiful late summer afternoon, a group of food enthusiasts gathered at the historic Scott Farm Orchard for a chocolate and fruit workshop. Scott Farm is a National Register of Historic Places listed farm that has been in active cultivation since 1791, growing 130 varieties of heirloom apples and an array of other interesting fruit, on gorgeous grounds. Rolling hills are swept with fruit trees and dotted with antique barns and structures, wended through with artful dry stone walls and installations by The Stone Trust. After a stop at their café for a little fortification in the form of a glass of their crisp, dry cider, then on to their orchard store for fresh fruit, we made our way next door to the main event barn to set up.

Peaches and plums are in abundance this time of year, with some apples just starting to peak, perfect for chocolate fondue. The group was enthusiastic and so much fun, their thoughtful questions, ideas and insights added depth to the workshop. And of course, cheers to the Scott Farm team for their exceptional fruit, and their knowledge and graciousness!

We worked off a basic chocolate fondue recipe, then explored three different ways to add ingredients for three very different flavor combinations. The most fun part was tasting all three while discussing ideas for serving, spicing and blending. Use the very best chocolate (like ours, available in our shop) and heavy cream for the very best flavor.

Recipes are below, bon appétit!

Basic Bittersweet Chocolate Fondue
We recommend serving with berries, peaches, plums, apricots, pears, apples, cherries
10-12 oz (about 2 cups pastilles or chips)
1 cup heavy cream
Optional 1-2 Tbsp cider, liqueur, strong brewed coffee or espresso, strained reduced fruit (recipe below)

Heat heavy cream and liqueur/cider/coffee/strained reduced fruit in a heavy sauce pan on stove top over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until milk mixture begins to steam. Turn off heat and add chocolate. Let sit for 30 seconds, then stir until chocolate is fully melted and the mixture is thick and glossy. Remove from the burner.

Layer your basic chocolate fondue with other flavors

Salted Caramel Chocolate Fondue
We recommend serving with apples and pears, cheddar cheese
Add 1 cup caramel sauce, store bought or homemade (recipe below)
1-2 tsp salt to taste
Optional cinnamon, nutmeg, splash of maple bourbon or rum, and flake sea salt sprinkled on top

Savory Cheese and Chocolate Fondue
We recommend serving with stone fruits, grilled meats or porcini mushrooms, bacon, dried fruits
Add 1/4 cup chèvre, crumbled blue cheese or grated alpine cheese like gruyere, to the heavy cream mixture, and blend with whisk while heating. When it is incorporated and smooth, add chocolate, substituting 1/2 cup for unsweetened chocolate, and continue with recipe.
1/2 tsp cayenne to taste, smoked salt sprinkled on top

Infused Floral, Herb, or Tea Chocolate Fondue
We recommend serving with a variety of fruits, toasts, cookies
Steep 1 Tbsp of dried flowers like lavender or rose, or herbs like mint or lemon balm, or tea like Earl Grey, in the heavy cream as you warm it. Strain before adding the chocolate.

Serving your fondue

You can serve the fondue in a proper fondue pot, or place the sauce pan on a trivet and serve
immediately, or transfer it to a pre-warmed ceramic bowl. The fondue will stay warm for quite a while, but if necessary you can gently reheat it on low on the stove top while stirring frequently so it doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pan. Fondue can be microwaved as well.

Store fondue in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Trouble shooting: If the chocolate fondue mixture starts to become crumbly, or if it “breaks” (it is not emulsified as the fats separate and it looks oily and crumbly), slowly add more heavy cream by the teaspoon, mixing thoroughly to incorporate, until it becomes even and glossy.

Accompaniments for serving and dipping
Explore our recommendations and get creative with berries, stone fruits, apples, pears, dried fruits, cookies, crackers, pretzels, bacon, bread and toasts, and whatever your heart desires. Wash and dry fruit thoroughly, cut stone and orchard fruits, cheese, bread into bite size chunks. Arrange accompaniments on a platter with fondue forks, regular forks, skewers.

Working with Fruit

• Thoroughly wash and dry all fruit

• Check out our recipe for French Apple Cake with a Twist to learn an easy way to core apples and pears with a teaspoon

• To keep cut apples and pears from oxidizing and turning brown, lightly mist or brush with lemon juice

• To slice peaches or plums, remove the pit by making a cut length-wise around the natural seam that runs along the fruit, so your knife uses the pit as a guide. Hold each half in your hands and gently twist. One half will come free of the pit, and you can grab the pit in the other and gently twist it out, or use a small spoon to scoop it out.

Recipes for additions

Homemade Caramel Sauce dry caramel
1 cup sugar
1 stick/4 oz butter
1 cup heavy cream
Heat sugar in heavy bottomed pot over medium high heat, stirring frequently while sugar melts, being careful not to get sugar on sides of pan. When sugar is melted (caution: it will be extremely hot) and is a deep copper color, add stick of butter carefully, it will steam and sizzle as it melts. Stir constantly until melted, being careful not to scrape any sugar that may have crystallized on the sides of the pan, they will add crunchy bits. Slowly add heavy cream in a drizzle while stirring, until the mixture is smooth. Turn down burner to medium and let warm until bubbles appear and the mixture boils lightly. Boil for about 1-2 minutes so the mixture thickens, then remove from heat.

Fruit Reduction
1 quart berries or plums, etc. cleaned, pitted, stems removed
Splash water
1 Tbsp honey, sugar, or maple syrup
Pinch of salt
Place fruit, sweetener and salt in small saucepan, splash a tiny bit of water on top. Heat on stovetop on medium heat until the mixture reaches a gentle boil, stirring frequently and pressing on the fruit with spoon to release all of the juices, for about 5-8 minutes until the mixture starts to thicken. Remove from heat and carefully strain through a fine sieve into a heat-proof container like a pyrex bowl. Store in air tight container for up to a week in refrigerator.

photo by Emily MacAdoo