Step 1

Heat the heavy cream and the salt in a saucepan, over medium heat, until steaming.

Step 2

Remove from heat and add the chocolate. Let it stand for a couple of minutes, then whisk or stir until melted.

Step 3

Stir in the vanilla extract and, if using, the cognac.

Step 4

Adjust the texture by adding more heavy cream or chocolate if needed. Heavy cream will thin it out and chocolate will thicken.

Step 5

Pour into a fondue pot and serve with your favorite dippers!