BurnsFamily Blog

We love fondue at our house. A couple of years ago a new restaurant in Campbell offered fondue for desert. It was served in a small white ramekin over a tea light candle. One day I was in Bed Bath and Beyond and had a revelation. The little fondue pots at the restaurant were almost exactly like the little butter warmers they sell for Lobster dinners. I bought a set and the rest is history. We now have fondue any time we want.

At our house we try to keep our deserts on the healthy side so we have lots of fruit for dipping. In the beginning I made a batch of Rice crispy bars and cut them up. They were stored in the freezer with cut up cheese cake. That was until we discovered cream puffs. Those are our new favorite decedent dipping items and are so much easier, that we now forgo the others.

Tonight’s platter included raspberries, strawberries, oranges, apples and cream puffs. The berries were a splurge this time of year because of New Years. Fondue is a New Years tradition in our house.

What do you need to do to start your own Fondue traditions. Head to BB&B and get some butter warmers. In each butter warmer mix together: 1 oz semi sweet chocolate (chips or baking squares) 1/2 tsp vanilla and 2 TBS milk. If you want you can also add 1/2 oz milk or dark chocolate for variation. Light the candle and start letting the chocolate melt while you prep your fruits. Cut everything into bite size pieces. Cut the cream puffs in half or quarters, if you have kids. Keep checking on the chocolate while you prep the rest, giving it a gentle stir. By the time you get done with the other prep, the chocolate should be pretty close to melted and ready to serve.

The best part is that everyone gets their own serving of chocolate. No worries about double dipping, and no fights that one person got more than another.

Since we always have at least a couple of fruits in the house and a package of cream puffs in the freezer, we are always ready for fondue.