Caramel Fondue Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is cornstarch or flour better for fondue? ›

The cornstarch is yet more insurance to keep the fondue from breaking, coating the proteins and fat and preventing them from coalescing. Some recipes call for a flour-based roux, but I found cornstarch to work very well, producing a fondue without any starchiness.

**Use Corn Syrup:** One way to help prevent crystallization is to use corn syrup in your caramel recipe. Corn syrup contains glucose, which interferes with sugar crystal formation and helps keep the caramel smooth.

The main ingredient in caramel is sugar. However, depending on the recipe you use, you may have to incorporate butter, heavy cream, water, or corn syrup as additional ingredients. High-quality, real caramel is always made with three basic ingredients and those are sugar, heavy cream, and butter.

The easiest way to prevent crystallization is to avoid stirring the caramel. Instead, swirl the pan gently to help the sugar melt evenly. If any sugars do splash up onto the sides of the pan, use a wet pastry brush to remove them.

When making fondue, the first thing to consider is what type of ingredients you want to use; if you are a vegetarian, you may prefer the oil. The oil is also a healthier option because it contains no fat or calories. However, if you like meat and cheese, the broth is better because it has more flavors.

The best all-around cheeses for fondue are fontina, Gruyère, and gouda. If you aren't sure what to pick, use even amounts of these three. Together are lush and complex. For classic Swiss cheese fondue (meaning one like what you would find in Switzerland), a mix of traditional, firm mountain-style cheeses is best.

To thicken a caramel sauce, use one tablespoon of cornstarch or tapioca starch (sometimes known as tapioca flour) and one tablespoon of water per cup of caramel. Then simmer the caramel, stirring it constantly with a wooden spoon until it becomes thick.

Add acid. Acid ingredients (like vinegar or lemon juice) can help prevent re-crystallization which causes caramel to become grainy. Acid physically breaks the bonds between the glucose and fructose molecules that form sucrose and ensure that it stays apart.

Heat until the syrup reaches 240 to 245 degrees Fahrenheit. The lower the temperature, the softer the resulting caramels will be.

The typical formula for caramels is C24H36O18 , so the elements of water have been removed from the sucrose.

What are the two methods for making caramel? ›

Wet caramel is made by combining sugar and a liquid and cooking them together, while dry caramel is made from just sugar, heated in a dry pan until it liquefies and browns.

You should use refined white granulated or caster sugar to make caramel. Avoid using brown sugar or raw cane sugar as they contain impurities that inhibit caramelisation and also the already brown colour can make it harder to assess when the all important reaction is taking place.

This can take time, however, and if you stir the mixture too excessively early on, you may end up splashing the liquid up onto the sides of the cooking pot. There, the water left behind quickly evaporates and the sugar re-crystallizes.

The temperature of the caramel can rise so rapidly that it is hard to keep it in the desired temperature range, shown above. As a result, the caramel could burn and taste bitter.

By adding wine, you're also adding quite a bit of water. Adding water increasing the overall moisture content and helps dilute the protein, leading to a smoother Fondue. The cornstarch further helps stabilize the emulsion and thicken the water phase of the Fondue.

The most classic and surefire way to thicken a broth-based soup is with a cornstarch slurry. Whisk together equal parts cornstarch (or arrowroot) and water or broth, then whisk it into the pot of soup. A good ratio to get to a pleasant thickness without your soup tasting goopy or heavy is one tablespoon.

And to prevent clumping, put a little flour in with the cheese. It keeps the temp change from clumping the cheese.

Browning adds more flavor to the gravy and gets rid of the raw flour taste. You're basically making a roux. We find that a flour-based gravy holds up better and reheats better later, which is why we tend to prefer using flour over cornstarch to make gravy unless we have a guest who is eating gluten-free.