# Chocolate fondue dippers idea



## somethingtasty

Hi again.. I'm thinking of making a milk chocolate fondue next week, so I wanted your ideas on what dippers to use.. So far I have the usual fruits, strawberries, bananas and oranges, but any other tips are accepted, both creative and extravagant ideas, as well as your favourite dippers.

Also, I guess it's okay, but I'm still asking. Would it be good to use Bailey's in my milk chocolate fondue as it is my favourite liquer?

Thank you in advance


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## foodpump

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.


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## somethingtasty

I meant as a liquor that is added after the chocolate is melted. Recipes suggest Grand Marnier, brandy etc...


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## foodpump

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.....


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## somethingtasty

Anyone else's opinion? Testis unus testis nullus...


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## foodpump

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.


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## somethingtasty

And that gives you the right to be arrogant? If you can and want to explain, go ahead.. You just insult me and tell me that something that all recipes implement - alcohol - isn't right? At least explain why and give me advice on how to prepare it...


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## somethingtasty

And to anyone who wants to help - I have a new idea, would use like 12 oz milk chocolate to 1/2 cup half-and-half (actually half a Tbsp. of butter and the rest milk).. I found this online, is it okay? And do I put both over a double boiler, or first half-and-half?


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## foodpump

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


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## kaneohegirlinaz

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"!


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## babytiger

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)


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## somethingtasty

Thanks a lot for the ideas


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## tigerwoman

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.


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## koukouvagia

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.


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## petalsandcoco

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.


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## chefedb

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.


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## andio100

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.


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## margcata

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


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## jenlynne1121

It's ridiculous to tell the poster that she can't add alcohol to her fondue.  The majority of recipes include it.  I spent the last 20 minutes looking online for one that didn't.  Chocolate will seize up if you add water but just because something contains water doesn't mean you can't add it to melted chocolate.  If that were true, fondue wouldn't exist because adding cream to the chocolate would ruin it.


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## cerise

You could add 2 to 3 Tbs. flavored liqueur, such as kirsch, amaretto or orange liqueur. Waffles, kiwis, pineapple chunks or any fruit of choice would make for good dippers. Here's an example:

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/waffles-chocolate-fondue.html?cm_src=RECIPESEARCH


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## colleens

I've added Grand Marnier to my chocolate fondue recipe - 1 teaspoon is not going to make it seize up. After you have let the chocolate melt, added your cream, sugar and butter, and let it warm over barely simmering water bath for about 12 minutes, then take it off the heat and stir in the liquor when off heat. 

I like to make coconut macaroons (American not Parisian) and use those for dippers. Also make homemade pound cake and cut it into small squares. Spritz cookies or other butter cookies work well too.


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## chefanthony

homemade marshmallows


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## foodpump

Maybe I should clarify things a bit regarding chocolate and liquids....

Adding ANY liquid (and this includes steam, or even high humidity) to pure chocolate will make it sieze up. If you have chocolate and money to throw away, you can try it for yourself: Add a few drops of water to liquid (melted) chocolate and see for yourself; it turns to cement before your very eyes. Thing is, this happens when you add _*small*_ amounts of liquid to the chocolate. If you add larger amounts of liquid--say a ratio of 1 part chocolate to 1 part cream, milk, water, or booze to the chocolate, you get a pudding-like consistency (we call it "Ganache") This will never harden to chocolate-like consistency, but it will become somewhat firm if allowed to cool down. By adding a lot of liquid, say 11/2 parts or even more liquid to 1 part melted chocolate, you get a heavy syrup like liquid that we would call a "glaze". You can dip with this, or cover cakes, or do whatever, but again, it will never harden up like chocolate but will turn semi-soft.

So a fondue (fondue= "melted" in French) is usually 11/2 parts liquid to 1 part of chocolate. It works great, tastes great with all of the tid-bits mentioned above, but choc. fondue will never get rock-hard and brittle like chocolate.


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