Recipe for Chocolate Fondue

- 1 and 1/4 cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 ounces Ghiradelli 70% Cacao Extra Bittersweet Chocolate baking bar (broken up into pieces)
- 4 ounces Ghiradelli Milk Chocolate Baking Bar (also broken up into pieces)

Pour the milk, vanilla extract and butter into a saucepan. Heat the saucepan on medium and mix well. When it has begun to slightly boil from the heat, remove from the burner and pour in the bittersweet and milk chocolate bar pieces. Keep stirring until the bars are completely melted and the fondue is uniformly brown and smooth (the saucepan can be brought back to heat to facilitate this). Pour the fondue from the saucepan into a fondue pot and keep it warm, not hot (an electrical fondue pot with precise temperature control is excellent for this).

Serve with marshmallows, strawberries, slices of banana, or whatever else strikes your fancy!

Quick-and-easy 1-person Fondue:
(for when you feel like keeping all the chocolate to yourself!)

Take a small, 4-oz glass jar, or other small microwavable container, and fill with chocolate chips (any kind, I prefer mostly milk chocolate with just a dash of dark). Top with a small lump of butter and microwave on high for 10-second intervals, poking at it each time to see if the chocolate is softening yet.

When most of the chocolate is soft, add a pinch of salt and stir. The chocolate will most likely stay lumpy at first. Add whole milk, a half-teaspoon at a time, mixing thouroughly. At first the milk will cause the chocolate to seize up, this is normal. Keep adding just a little at a time, and suddenly the chocolate will go from stiff to smooth without warning. Stop adding milk and stir until most of the chunks are dissolved. Add 2-3 drop vanilla extract, this will cause the last chunks to dissolve and make the entire concoction smooth and creamy.

Dip fruit, cheese chunks, bread, or anything else that looks good, and enjoy!

Leftover chocolate can be kept in the fridge, just top off every now and then with more chocolate chips, a pat of butter, and a little milk.

I don’t have the exact counts handy, but I typically just use cream, butter, cocoa powder, cornstarch (actually, a xantham gum based substitute), and a few tablespoons of a liqueur of my choice — I like Amarula or a mix of Kahlua and Bailey’s.

Whisk together until nicely warm and thickened, and go to town with the dippers.

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