Chocolate fondue dippers idea

You'll learn fast not to put in liquids into chocolate--It will sieze up and turn to cement before your very eyes.

 

Try cookies, pound cake, even pretzels. 

And I meant what I said,--when you add liquids (or booze for that matter) the chocolate will sieze up.

 

That being siad, if you add liquids in a 1/3 liquid to 2/3 chocolate ratio it won't sieze up, but will become a very heavy paste,(which makes dipping very hard to do) and from this stage you can thin it down with more liquid (cream, booze, fruit purees, etc )  However, this will not dry to a hard shell like pure chocoalte will.

 

The commercial chocoalte fondue mixes are basically chocolate thinned out with oil.

 

Welcome to the world of chocolate..... 

Meh, fahhgetabout what I said.  It's your chocolate, your booze, your party.

 

 

I only o/o a artisan chocolate shop and work with chocolate for only 60 hrs a week--for the last few decades.

 

You're right, I'm wrong.

 

But for dipping in fondue, try fingers of cake, cookies, biscotti,, marshmallows, etc.  

No, I told you chocoalte and water don't mix.  40% (80 proof for the U.S.) still contains 60% water.  1/2 and 1/2 cream is usually 10% butterfat, so the remaining 90% is water.

 

I'm not arrogant, just stating simple rules.

Chocolate contains no water. none. period.

 

It is a suspension of fats, (cocoa butter)  solids (cocoa fibre) and sugar, milk chocoalte has lactose,(milk sugar) and milk fat.

 

Since there is no water, the sugar in chocolate (which can be as much as 60% sugar) does not dissolve.

 

When you add water, the sugar wants to dissolve and the cocoa butter repels the water.

 

When this happens, chocolate "siezes" or solidifies and can not be re-melted.  Additional liquids or oils can be added to thin it out however.

 

Very little water is needed to sieze chocolate.  A common mistake many make is to set a bowl of chocolate over boiling water.  Boiling = steam, which escapes from under the bowl, and condenses over the chocolate.

 

Hope this helps 

What about "cake pops", so cute!  Saw this machine, like a George Forman type, that makes these spherical cakes,

It just really sounded fun; then I saw this thread and my inner child said, "YEAH"!

 

 

These are the items I've had when making chocolate fondue at home:

Fruits - berries, banana, apple, pear, pineapple, grape

Cookies - chocolate chip, oatmeal, meringue, palmier, almond thins, wafers, waffle cookies, macaroon, biscotti

Cakes - sponge, pound cake, brownie, cheesecake

Misc. - pretzels, chips, marshmallows, gummy bears

 

For something more exotic, you can try thin strips of chili (heat level will depend on taste) and even bacon (candied bacon would be so good)

dippers

 

marshmellows

rice krispie treats

cookies = hard ones not crumbly

avoid cake - except perhaps angel food cake - too crumbly otherwise

pretzel sticks

fresh fruit like strawberries, bananas, 

grapes if skewered

wet fruit not so good for same reason you cann't introduce liquid

 

puff pastry sticks

twizzlers

bacon (the thick streaky  kind and already cooked)

 

meringues (plain without coconut or nuts which are also too crumbly)

taffy sticks

oreo bombes

cake pops if they are mixed with cream cheese for the right glued together consistency.

 

 

French fries - they're really good with chocolate but I don't know why lol!  You could also try red and green peppers.  I can't think of anything else but it's a good idea to try dipping something savoury in there. 

 

I don't think foodpump was being arrogant so calm down, there's lots of nice people on this forum and no need to get testy with those who try to help.  I'm sure there's a way to incorporate alcohol into your fondue but as foodpump mentioned, there are pitfalls.

Depending the age group or theme........

 

Other items would be:

 

Candied orange peel

figs

madeleines

star fruit

blackberries, raspberries, cherries.  Grapes on scewers as mentioned. Rotate green and red grapes

assorted marshmellows in different flavors (raspberry is great)....peppermint flavor.

ameretti

crystallized ginger chunks

ginger snaps

peanut butter balls (cake pops)

Chocolate fondue is great, another thought would be butterscotch fondue or Mocha.

 

.... Foodpump is so right, nothing worse than chocolate seizing.

 

 

 

 

I believe Food Pump answered you. He suggested no liquids in chocolate and he is 100% correct. Even the melting of good chocolate  in amicrowave could hurt i,t by a process called condensation. Steam created in the oven turns back to liquid and adultrates chocolate.

I would just like to say that we make chocolate fondue to serve in our restaurant and we use a good quality chocolate, cream and cointreau and we also use strawberries and grapes as dips (as well as marshmallows) and have no problem whatsoever with the chocolate going thick.

Good Morning,

 

Accoording to Le Cordon Bleu, the standard French chocolate fondue recipe is as follows:

 

cream 300 ml

milk 50 ml

vanilla pod

500 g chocolate ( Lindt is excellent choice )

1 banana

3 apples of various varieties

tangerine slices

strawberries ( not in season here yet - a bit early )

black berries

blue berries

rasberries

3 color grapes ( white, red and black cherry color )

cherries ( it is cherry season in Spain: La Valle Jerte, Extremadura )

mango and papaya

banana ( optional )

 

Liquors are not employed.

 

Kind regards.

Margcata