Fondue...at Home!

My husband and I are big fans of The Melting Pot.  Well, not big, actually, huge.  Yeah, that sums it up a little better.  We just love that place for its three courses of fondue, primarily, but also for the slow, leisurely environment that a fondue dinner entails.  The very nature of fondue just takes longer than a traditional restrauant, since you are basically only cooking bite-size portions of your meal at one time.  And in today's world of rush, rush, rush, it is so nice to not be in and out of a restaurant in an hour, especially if you are out for a special occasion or on a much-anticipated date night.  (What? A leisurely dinner without kids?  Is this possible?)

If you have never been to a Melting Pot, book your visit there for your next special evening out.  It will be guaranteed to please!  The Melting Pot

However, maybe you are like we are and going out on special occasions isn't always a possibility, both budget-wise and also because you have little ones at home to make arrangements for every time you want to go out, which not only adds additional aggravation to the planning, but additional expense as well.  If so, then why not take the Melting Pot to you for those special occasions?  Put the kids to bed, get dressed up, light some candles and voila - an impromptu fondue experience at home without the additional stress of reservations, babysitters and high bills.

Here is my recipe for a fun fondue evening at home.  My husband and I have done the full experience for an at-home date night many times and I have also done the appetizer and dessert courses only with some friends for a Ladies Night Out.  Remember, that for each course, there are always substitutions you can make youself; I have merely included items that I know The Melting Pot uses in their courses, purely for a more authentic experience of bringing The Melting Pot to your home.  Bon Appetit!

First, you will need a fondue pot and if you plan to do the entree course and the appetizer course, then an electric fondue pot is a must.  The traditional candle ones will keep food hot, but will not cook it.  I highly recommend Rival's Fondue Pot.  It has brought us many years of fondue without problem and is reasonably priced.



Advance Preparation
The day you will be having your fondue gathering, you will need to prepare all of the courses in advance.  This entails cutting the food into bite-size pieces and displaying on a platter and also making the dipping sauces.  Note that you will need to wash the fondue pot out between the 3 courses if you only have one of them (which I do).  This only takes a few minutes, so pour yourself a nice glass of wine and spend less than 5 minutes washing out the pot without complaining :).

Cheese fondue preparation:
Place on a platter: baby carrots, cubed French bread, cubed apple chunks, and celery pieces.

Pre-measure all ingredients for the cheese fondue for an easier time making it later on during your event.

Entree fondue preparation:
Place in a divided platter: cubed uncooked chicken chunks, cubed filet mignon, cubed marinated steak, raw shrimp with the tail removed, cubed raw salmon.

Place on another platter: Sliced, raw potatoes; raw broccoli; raw whole mushrooms

Dipping sauces:
Teriyaki sauce (bottled)
Barbeque sauce (bottled)
Hoisin plum sauce (bottled)

Cocktail sauce (mix 3 parts ketchup to 1 part horseradish; add more horseradish if desired)

The Melting Pot's Green Goddess Sauce (recipe below)

Green Goddess Sauce (compliments of The Melting Pot)

8 ounces cream cheese, cut into slices

1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
2 tablespoons finely sliced chives

In a microwave-safe container, microwave cream cheese and milk for 2 to 4 minutes, whisking after each minute, until cream cheese melts and mixture is smooth. Stir in sour cream, onion, parsley and chives. Refrigerate until cold.

Dessert fondue preparation

Place on a platter: marshmallows, hulled strawberries, sliced bananas, cut up homemade or bakery brownie, sliced bakery cheesecake

Pre-measure all dessert fondue ingredients for an easier time making it later on during your event.

Course 1: Cheese Fondue

Swiss Cheese Fondue
16 oz. shredded Swiss
-or-
8 oz. shredded Gruyere and 8 oz. shredded Emmanthaler
1/2 cup dry white wine
1T. flour mixed with 1T water
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Heat wine in fondue pot over med-hi heat.  Add cheese and stir until melted.  Add flour mixture to stabilize consistency.  Sprinkle in nutmeg.

Cheddar Cheese Fondue
16 oz. shredded Cheddar
1c. hard cider or beer
1T. flour mixed with 1T water
1tsp. minced garlic
Garlic powder

Heat cider or beer over med-hi heat.  Add garlic until fragrant.  Add cheese and stir until melted.  Add flour mixture to stabilize consistency.  Sprinkle with garlic powder.

Enjoy with your platter of bread, celery, apples and carrots!

Course 2: Entree

Fill fondue pot with 4 cups of chicken broth.  Season with garlic powder and seasoned salt.  Heat on hi and place raw meats and veggies on individual fondue rods to cook.  Potatoes can be placed in the pot for several minutes to cook, until tender.  Below are cooking guidelines:

Chicken: 3 minutes or until no longer pink
Beef: 2 minutes or less, depending on preference
Veggies: 3 minutes

Serve with your variety of dipping sauces.  Remember to not place any raw meat onto the plate from which you are eating!

Course 3: Dessert Fondue

Fill fondue pot with chocolate chips of choice.  Add 1c. heavy cream to the mixture and also 1T. liquor, if desired.  You can experiment with tastes for this one.  Below are some favorites:

• Yin and Yang:  white and dark chocolate
• Peanut Butter: milk chocolate chips and peanut butter chips
• Turtle: milk chocolate, melted caramels and chopped pecans
• White Chocolate Raspberry:  white chocolate chips and raspberry liquor (Framboise)

 Dip your platter of brownies, strawberries, marshmallows and bananas.  It is better to drizzle the chocolate onto the cheesecake than to actual dip the cheesecake, in order to avoid having the cake break into pieces.