Step by step

Method

4 steps

1. 1

   Chop 8 oz semisweet or dark chocolate finely so it melts evenly. Warm ½ cup heavy cream in a small saucepan until steaming with small bubbles at the edge — don't boil. Take off the heat, add the chocolate and 1 tablespoon butter, and rest 2 minutes. Stir from the center out until glossy and smooth.

2. 2

   Stir in ½ teaspoon vanilla and a pinch of salt. Transfer to a fondue pot on low, or a bowl set over a pan of warm (not simmering) water so it stays fluid without scorching.

3. 3

   Arrange dippers on a platter: strawberries, banana slices, apple wedges, pretzel sticks, marshmallows. Pat fruit dry with a towel — wet fruit makes the chocolate slide off.

4. 4

   Keep the chocolate warm and stir occasionally. If it thickens, whisk in a splash of warm cream. Dip and eat as you go. You want a silky, clingy chocolate that coats fruit cleanly — not a grainy broken sauce or a thick paste that won't drip.