Chocolate Fondue
12 ounces milk chocolate, semisweet
chocolate or sweet cooking chocolate
1/2 cup half-and-half
2 to 3 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur, Kirsch, brandy, white
crème de menthe, 2 teaspoons dry instant coffee or
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dippers*
Heat chocolate and half-and-half in heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat; stir in liqueur or other flavoring. Pour into fondue pot or chafing dish with water bath; keep warm over very low heat. (NOTE: A crockpot set on LOW does a great job of keeping the fondue warm.) Stir in a small amount of cream if fondue becomes too thick while guests are dipping.
Dippers
Strawberries, banana slices*, pineapple chunks, mandarin orange segments, fresh orange slices, apple wedges*, grapes, melon balls, papaya wedges*, maraschino cherries, fresh pitted Bing cherries, kiwifruit slices, fresh coconut chunks, pound cake cubes, ladyfingers, miniature cream puffs, miniature doughnuts, marshmallows, pretzels, angel food cake cubes and vanilla wafers.
All the fruits followed by a * should be dipped in lemon juice after cutting to prevent oxidation.
