Chocolate fountains
are an interactive dessert.
Chocolate fountains combine dessert and the centerpiece. Using the same principle of water fountains, chocolate fountains circulate melted chocolate through the machine until it cascades over the top creating an edible shower. Foods for dipping into the fountain need to be readily available on skewers for guests to hold under the fountain's chocolate flow, coating the food with chocolate. When choosing foods, avoid those that could crumble as the crumbs will clog the fountain.
Cake
Make your dessert better by serving your guests chocolate-covered cake. Set small squares of cake in shallow bowls. Place a soup spoon with each bowl for the guest to scoop chocolate from the fountain and drizzle over his cake. Cakes are too crumbly to put at the end of skewers, and even dense pound cakes risk falling off the end of the skewer into the fountain. Brownies are another variation of cake for serving with a chocolate fountain, but serve it in a bowl the same way you serve cake.
Cookies
Whole cookies do not need skewers for serving. Opt for solid, sturdy cookies such as biscotti, vanilla wafer cookies, graham crackers, chocolate sandwich cookies, fortune cookies or gingersnaps. Avoid cookies with chunks of ingredients mixed in or those with a delicate texture. Meringues, chocolate chip cookies and flaky pastry cookies are not suitable for dipping.
Fruit
Chocolate makes fruit taste better. Present washed and cut fruit at the end of bamboo or metal skewers. Strawberries, banana chunks and melon cubes are best served on skewers. Arrange apple wedges, orange slices, pear wedges and dried apricots on a serving platter next to the fountain for dipping without skewers. These fruits do not hold together well in one piece when pierced at the end of a skewer. Toss cut bananas and apples with lemon juice before putting the fruit out with the fountain to keep the fruit from browning.
Edible Skewers
Insert a large marshmallow onto the end of a rod-shaped pretzel for an edible skewer. Both the marshmallow and pretzel pair well with the chocolate in the fountain, especially dark or milk chocolates. Peanut butter-filled pretzels become a sweet and salty snack when dipped into the melted chocolate. Place a bowl of candy sprinkles with a spoon inside for serving. Guests can spoon the candy sprinkles on their plates. Instruct them to roll the chocolate-dipped marshmallow at the end of the pretzel rod in the sprinkles for added flavor and coloring.
Tags: with chocolate, candy sprinkles, chocolate fountain, Chocolate fountains, into fountain, marshmallow pretzel
