Ingredients

• 250ml/9fl oz whipping cream
• 50ml/2fl oz milk
• piece paired orange zest
• 1 cinnamon stick
• broken up
• ½ vanilla pod
• split lengthways
• 1 chipotle chilli
• split
• few cloves
• 1 tsp allspice berries
• lightly crushed
• 2 blades mace
• ½ tsp peppercorns
• lightly crushed
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 350g/12oz dark chocolate
• generous pinch of salt
• 100ml/3½fl oz syrup from a jar of stem ginger
• 1-2 tbsp rum
• brandy or ginger wine (optional)
• cubes madeira cake
• cubes leftover Christmas pudding or cake
• pieces of fruit
• such as mango
• physalis
• mandarin segments or pears

Directions

• Put the whipping cream and milk into a saucepan along with the orange zest
• cinnamon stick
• vanilla pod
• chilli
• cloves
• allspice berries
• mace
• peppercorns and ginger.
• Slowly bring up to the boil
• then remove from the heat and leave to infuse until the cream returns to room temperature. Strain through a sieve into a clean saucepan.
• Break up the chocolate and it add to the cream. Melt the chocolate into the cream over a gentle heat until the chocolate has melted
• whisking regularly and then constantly towards to the end until you have a smooth sauce.
• Transfer to a fondue bowl and leave to stand for 10 minutes
• then if necessary
• start reheating very gently with a tea light or fondue burner underneath. Keep an eye on this while eating as you do not want it to start over-heating – it will split.
• Serve with cubes of madeira cake
• leftover Christmas pudding or cake
• or any fruit.