Fondue is an informal style of dining that is excellent for a romantic, candlelit dinner or small party with a group of friends. A do-it-yourself fondue dinner is intimate and romantic.
Fondue is a style of dining with practical and interesting roots. Cheese fondue, with pieces of bread dipped in a cheese sauce, was a way of using up old, dried up cheese and stale bread. The cheese sauce would be melted in a small pot and the pieces of bread would be dipped into the cheese sauce. The melted cheese would revitalize the stale bread, softening in and making a tasty treat in the meantime. Meat fondue got it’s origins by vineyard workers in Europe.
Vineyard workers would spend long days in the field. picking grapes. The owners, or managers, would keep large pots of heated oil in the field. Workers brought their own small pouches of food and when it was time to eat, they would cook their food in the communal pot of heated oil and eat it.
There are three main categories of fondue, including cheese, oil, and chocolate.
If you want to create a three course dinner, you should have three pots, one for each course. The fondue pot for the oil is usually stainless steel. If you don’t already have a pot, you can purchase one in most stores that carry kitchenware. You should be aware that each type of fondue has best results with it’s own style of pot, because the ingredients cook differently. Fondue kits come with the pot, a stand, a burner and small fondue forks.
Set the pots up in the center of a sturdy table. East guest should get a small plate, preferably a different plate for each course. The plates will only be used to put dipping sauces on and to set the food on temporarily before eating, so small dessert plate will be just fine. Each guest should also get silverware, and a napkin or two. Some people will eat the fondue directly off of the fondue fork, but that means the used fork will get dipped into the communal pot, which can be unappealing at best. The other disadvantage to eating off of the fondue fork is that the fork will get hot in the pot and eating off of the cooking fork could risk burns.
Diners should cook their pieces of food, and then set it on the small plate to cool and bit before putting it in their mouth.
Appetizer Course
Cheese Fondue
There are pre made cheese fondue kits available in many specialty stores and supermarkets, or you can make it from scratch. Most recipes for “tradition” Swiss style fondue are a combination of two cheeses, Gruyere and Emmenthaler. The two cheeses are combined because the flavors combine for a flavor that is neither too sharp or too bland. The two cheese are usually melted in a dry white wine, keeping the cheese from direct heat as it melts, as it adds flavor. Kirsch, which is a clear cherry brandy, can be added to produce tartness. Add a clove of crushed garlic (optional) for flavor. To thicken the mixture, add a small about a tablespoon of flour or cornstarch. You can prepare the cheese mixture on the stove. When it is malted, put the cheese in the fondue pot, with the warming burner underneath to keep it warm.
Cheese fondue is served with cut up cubes of bread. A loaf of French, or Italian, bread works well with the cheese mixture. The cubes of bread can be placed in a bowl near the cheese and guests can serve themselves. Use the fondue forks to dip the bread cubes into the melted cheese and set it on the small plate. to cool before eating with separate fork.
Main Dish Fondue
Meat and Vegetables
This fondue course consists of meat and vegetables cooked in oil. The oil mixture can be heated on the stove before putting it into the fondue pot to keep warm and serve. Some people use a mixture of half oil and half butter, which adds an excellent flavor to the other ingredients. Cut up lean cuts of meat, such as sirloin or tenderloin. Chicken and shrimp are also great meats to use in fondue. Sliced up vegetables can also be cooked in the oil, along with the meat. Vegetables such as: potatoes, zucchini, onions, mushrooms, peppers make excellent additions to the meal. Set out dipping sauces such as: Al, Teriyaki, A1, mustard, horseradish, and herbed butter make great sauces. You can set out any sauce that your enjoy with meat. Dunk the meat cubes into the oil and let cook. It;s takes a couple of minutes to cook, so it’s okay to put in more than one cube at a time. Vegetables can be cooked along with the meat. Since the oil is sizzling hot, take the meat and vegetables out of the oil and let cool in dish before dipping in sauce and eating.
Ingredients
Dessert
Chocolate Fondue
Melt chocolate and put into fondue pot to keep warm. Use cut up pieces of pound or angel food cake to dip into the chocolate sauce. Cut up pieces of fruit such as strawberries, apples and oranges add a variety of taste sensations to the dessert.
Fondue is terrific with a bottle of fine wine and good company.
