Chocolate fondue
A ganache thinned to stay fluid over heat. Not tempered, not meant to set, and it fails when treated as melted chocolate.
Fondue is chocolate loosened with cream so that it stays pourable at serving temperature and coats without setting. Straight melted chocolate does not work: it thickens as it cools, and it seizes the moment a wet strawberry touches it.
Roughly 2:1 chocolate to cream gives a coating consistency that holds over a burner. Because there is already a water phase, wet fruit is no longer a hazard — which is precisely why the cream is there.
Keep the burner low. Held above about 50°C the mixture separates.
- What it is for
- To produce a chocolate coating that stays fluid over a burner and tolerates wet dippers.
- Working temperature
- 40–50°C — Serving temperature over the burner. Above about 55°C the emulsion separates and the fat pools.
- Works with
- Dark chocolate, Milk chocolate, Couverture
Ratios
| For | Ratio | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Dark chocolate fondue | 2:1 chocolate to double cream | Coating consistency. Add more cream for a thinner dip. |
| Milk chocolate fondue | 3:1 chocolate to double cream | More chocolate, as with any milk chocolate emulsion. |
Method
1. Heat cream to just below the boil and pour over chopped chocolate.
2. Stand for a minute, then stir from the centre outward until smooth.
Where people go wrong: Whisking immediately, which can split the emulsion.
3. Transfer to the fondue pot over the lowest heat and stir occasionally.
Where people go wrong: A high flame, which separates the mixture within minutes.
When it goes wrong
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Separated into oil and grainy solids | Too hot. | Take it off the heat, add a splash of warm cream and stir from the centre. |
| Thickened in the pot | Cooling, or evaporation over a long service. | Stir in a little warm cream. |
Related
Works with
- Dark chocolateA ganache thinned to stay fluid over heat. Not tempered, not meant to set, and it fails when treated as melted chocolate.
- Milk chocolateA ganache thinned to stay fluid over heat. Not tempered, not meant to set, and it fails when treated as melted chocolate.
- CouvertureA ganache thinned to stay fluid over heat. Not tempered, not meant to set, and it fails when treated as melted chocolate.
Covered in
- Chocolate with childrenA project that tolerates wet fruit, because it already has a water phase.
Sources
- ChocolateHQ editorial synthesis — ChocolateHQ(citation identity confirmed; passage not re-read)