Fruit Salad Fondue Recipe

		Servings: Serves 4 Prep Time: 20 minutes

	1 fresh pineapple
	1/2 cup halved or quartered strawberries
	1/2 cup fresh blueberries
	1 peeled and chopped green apple (optional)
	1 banana, to be sliced just before serving
	1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
	1 cup white chocolate chips

Step 1 With a sharp knife, cut off the top of the pineapple in a single straight slice, removing approximately 1/2 inch of fruit. (Parents will want to do the cutting.) Reserve the top for presentation. With another single straight slice, remove approximately 1/2 inch off the bottom of the pineapple and discard.

Step 2 To remove the rest of the fruit, stand the pineapple upright and insert the knife between the fruit and the shell, about inch from the shell. Move the knife carefully around the inner rim of the shell to cut the fruit away from the shell in a single, barrel-shaped piece. Depending on how (in)flexible your knife is, you may have to remove the knife and insert it to make each cut, instead of simply moving the knife up and down inside the pineapple.

Step 3 Once you have cut all the way around the fruit, turn the pineapple on its side and slide the fruit from the shell. You may have to make a few more cuts to loosen it completely.

Step 4 Slice the pineapple fruit into chunks, omitting the core, and show your kids how to cut each chunk into bite-sized pieces (1/4- to 1/2-inch) using a plastic knife.

Step 5 Wipe the inside of the pineapple shell with a paper towel. Cut a circle of wax paper slightly larger than the bottom of the pineapple. Place the wax paper on a dessert plate and put the pineapple directly on top of it. You can spoon fruit salad directly into the shell.

Step 6 Help kids cut and measure the remaining fruit. Just before serving, have kids slice the banana and use a large spoon to combine it gently with the fruit pieces in a large bowl. Kids can then spoon as much fruit salad as possible into the pineapple bowl. Place the rest in a separate bowl. You can serve directly from the bowl or use it to hold the fruit salad until the pineapple needs to be refilled.

Step 7 Show kids how to measure out 1 cup each of dark and white chocolate chips into separate microwave-safe plastic bowls.

Step 8 Heat the bowls of chocolate chips, one at a time, in the microwave for 1 minute on high power. Carefully remove the bowls with a kitchen towel or oven mitt; they may be very hot. Although the chips may not be melted at first, stir them with a spoon. They should melt within a minute or two. If they're still not completely melted after you have stirred them, microwave them for an additional 10-20 seconds and stir. Be sure to let the melted chips cool slightly before bringing them to the table.

Step 9 Place the bowls of melted chocolate on the table, and let the kids dip the fruit into it with small forks or toothpicks. You may want to place several bowls around the table so all the kids can reach them easily.