Gingered White Chocolate Fondue

2 cups heavy cream

3 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger, divided

1½ tablespoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger

1 pound white chocolate, chopped

In a medium saucepan, combine the cream, 2 tablespoons of the crystallized ginger, the ground ginger and the fresh ginger. Cook over medium heat, watching to make sure it doesn't bubble up, until heated through.

Put the white chocolate in a ceramic fondue pot. Pour in the hot cream and whisk until the chocolate is melted. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon crystallized ginger over the top. Keep warm over a low flame for dipping. If it begins to boil, turn off the heat.

Serve with bite-size squares of angel food cake, pineapple chunks, dried apricots, Chinese fortune cookies and gingersnaps.

Serves eight to 10.

Cook's note: When buying white chocolate, be sure the label lists cocoa butter as a major ingredient; confectionery coating, also called summer coating, will not work for fondue.

Variation: For Marbled Chocolate Fondue: Omit the ginger. In a small heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, melt 4 ounces of bittersweet chocolate with 2 teaspoons of butter until melted and smooth. Transfer the white chocolate mixture to a fondue pot. Pipe or spoon concentric circles (or another decorative design) of the dark chocolate mixture over the top and swirl through with a thin wooden skewer.

"Great Party Fondues" by Peggy Fallon (2008 Wiley, $16.95)