Instructions: For baby boomers, its a culinary blast from the past.

But for a whole new generation, fondue is the delectable craze of the moment.

Fondue pots are something you used to find at garage sales. But like so many things that have been resurrected from the fad graveyard, fondue

("melted" in French) has changed, and the pots are back on the kitchen table.

Its as if a fondue underground has been at work, just waiting for the day that it could arise and take its rightful place again. When the boom in all things retro kicked into gear, suddenly the children and grandchildren of baby boomers got interested in those dusty pots sitting in the basement, and a trend was launched.

However, gone are the orange- or avocado-colored pots of fondues American glory days, the mid-1960s to mid-70s. Theyve been replaced by subtle ceramics or sleek, chrome-clad affairs, the embodiment of the high-tech age that has returned them to life.

Even more dramatic is what has changed inside those pots: Mostly chocolate.

The new wave of fondue fanatics is dipping fresh exotic fruits in fabulous chocolate fondues.

Fondue traditionally is a hot pot of melted Swiss cheese in which breads or other foods are dipped, then eaten.

But that has changed. The intense, rich and satisfying characteristics of chocolate elevate the flavor of fresh fruit, cookies and cream cheese

"dippers."

Some tips from USA Weekend:
Avoid moisture: it causes the chocolate to become grainy and lumpy.

Use the right pot: a large ceramic pot for cheese and large batches of dessert fondue, a metal-lined pot for oil-based or fried fondues.

Do the two-step: Cook the fondue in a pan on your stove, then transfer it to the fondue pot for serving.

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