Recipe: Chocolate Caramel Fondue for Fruit

Chocolate Caramel Fondue for Fruit

For a private treat or a festive communal experience. This is from Debora Carl, adapted from a recipe by Nancy Silverton of La Brea Bakery.

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 2 cups whipping cream
• 1 vanilla bean
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/4 pound unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa

Put the butter and one cup cream into a saucepan. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise, scrape its seeds into the saucepan, then add the pod. Place over medium heat until the butter is melted and the cream is hot, about three minutes. Set aside.

Warm the corn syrup in a separate saucepan over medium heat. When it begins to bubble, add the sugar, two tablespoons at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon after each addition and until the sugar is completely dissolved. Cook, stirring once or twice, until a pale-straw color, 5-8 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Stir the butter-cream mixture into the sugar mixture. It will spatter and seize up. Return the saucepan to medium-high heat, and stir until the mixture liquifies and the color resembles light commercial caramels, 5-7 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the chopped chocolate and stir until it is melted.

Pour the remaining cup of cream into the same saucepan used for the butter and cream and cook over high heat until reduced by one half, 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cocoa. When the cocoa is dissolved, stir cream-cocoa mixture into the caramel-chocolate mixture. Pour through a medium strainer.

Serve warm, with pieces of fresh fruit including peaches, nectarines, pluots (and other stone fruit), bananas and strawberries.