Chocolate Fondue with Mixed Fruit
from Light Jewish Holiday Desserts ©1999

Chocolate Fondue is a delicious and fun way to eat fruit (not to mention chocolate!), especially nice for fussy kids. It has been lightened considerably, having almost 200 calories and 15 grams of fat, less, per serving, than regular fondue. Use any combination of fruits, but to make it special for Tu b'Shevat, include one from each category: totally edible (apple, orange, strawberry, etc.), pitted fruits (mango, apricot, plums, dates or papaya), and shelled fruits (bananas, pineapple, coconuts, and nuts).

Serve on: Tu b'Shevat, Shabbat--include cubes of spongecake, Sukkot--use fall fruits, Shavuot--use summer fruits.

Dairy

Makes 5 servings

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon plus 1/3 cup skim milk, divided

1/4 cup sugar, or less, to taste

1/3 cup light corn syrup

1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa, such as Droste®

2 tablespoons chopped semisweet chocolate, or chips

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large apple

7 ounces pineapple chunks in juice, drained, -juice reserved

10 medium strawberries

1 1/4 large bananas

1. Boil about 2-inches of water in the bottom of a double boiler. Cover, and reduce the heat to low.
   
   
2. Place the cornstarch in small bowl. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the milk.
   
   
3. Combine the remaining 1/3 cup milk and 1/4 cup sugar (or less, to taste) in a small pot. Heat to boiling over medium heat. Stir in the cornstarch mixture. Simmer, stiring continuously, for 1 minute or until the mixture thickens. Stir in the corn syrup and remove the pot from the heat.
   
   
4. Place the cocoa and chocolate chips in the top of the double boiler, but not over the heat yet. Stir in the milk mixture a little at a time until the mixture is mostly smooth. Set the pan over the hot water, cover and let heat for 1 minute. Uncover the pot and stir the mixture until most of the chocolate is melted. Stir in the vanilla extract. Strain through a medium-mesh strainer into the fondue pot.
   
   
5. Set the fondue pot over the flame.
   
   
6. Cut the apple into wedges, and then halve the wedges, cross-wise. Dip the slices in the reserved pineapple juice to prevent discoloration, and then pat them dry. Cut the strawberries in half. Cut the bananas, into 3/4-inch chunks If you are cutting up the bananas ahead of time, dip them into the pineapple juice, also, to prevent darkening. Pat dry. Divide the fruit among five small plates. Use fondue forks to dip the fruit into the chocolate. Fondue gets hotter as you reach the bottom of the pot, so be careful not to get burned.

To make the fondue ahead of time, make the recipe through step #5. Then strain the chocolate into a container. Leave uncovered until the chocolate is cool, and then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Can be made 1 week in advance. When ready to serve, heat 2-inches of water in the bottom of a double boiler. Spoon the chocolate into the top of the double boiler, and heat it over the boiling water until hot.

Nutritional notes per serving: 288 Calories, 3g Fat (9.5%), 1mg Cholesterol, 69g Carbohydrates, 4g Protein, 42mg Sodium, 10g Fiber, RDA % - 3% Vitamin A, 276% Vitamin C, 8% Calcium, 12% Iron

© 1999-2007 Penny Eisenberg. All Rights Reserved
Mandarin Orange Cheesecake Photo © Mary Ellen Bartley