I hope you finished off the last of 2009 in a fun way. We have Justin’s parents in town, so we decided to have a fun meal. Now, we have a new “fondue” tradition for New Year’s. We had a cheese fondue with fresh veggies, garlic sourdough bread, and grilled chicken. AND… for dessert a whole plate of fresh fruit with angel food cake in a rich chocolate fondue!!
… I need your input on a great cheese fondue, because ours was not great, just okay. However, the chocolate fondue was great! Here is what the spread looked like:
Dark Chocolate Fondue Recipe
Via my fabulous sister Tiffany! Love ya Tiffy!
1/2 c water
1/2 c half and half (I had cream 😉 so I used it, whoops! Are my pants tighter?…)
1 T honey
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp maple extract
3 oz Bittersweet chocolate, grated (or chocolate chip size)
6 oz Milk Chocolate
Things to dip:
Strawberries, Fresh Pineapple, Cherries(pitted), Apples, Orange Segments,
Angel Food Cake, Animal Crackers, Brownie Bites…. in other words, all things yummy!
In a heavy saucepan or fondue pot, over medium heat,
combine the first 4 ingredients till fully incorporated.
(I did this all in my rice cooker, see below)
Pour in chocolate and stir til all chocolate is melted and mixture is glossy.
Keep warm to serve.
After…. You’ll notice I only had the one fondue pot, maybe I will get another by next year,
but if not my little rice cooker was the perfect chocolate fondue pot, set on warm.
So, if you don’t have a fondue pot, but you have a rice cooker (or a crock pot would also work)…
There you go!
>I'm SOOOOO hungry now. I just got home last night and have NO food in the house yet. Your spread looks absolutely delicious. As for a cheese fondue, I can't help out there — I haven't attempted one yet. But this is such a great idea for a party, I think I may have to throw something like it soon.
>Hi Cass
We did Fondue for Christmas Eve. It was really fun. One thing we did to make it kid friendly was to make corn dogs. We cut the hot dogs up in one inch pieces and dipped them in the batter and fried them.
Our cheese sauce was really good, but I don't have the recipe. Love you!
>It looks fabulous ! 🙂 I don't have a fondue pot but I do have a rice cooker… hmmmmm…
>I got a fondue pot for Christmas and I am SOOO excited to use it! I have found a few recipes thus far, but haven't tried them. I will let you know how they turn out though!
>Oh man – that looks SOOO good!!! Now I'm totally craving fondue. (:
>ok, i love this!!
i think i'm going to test this out as a family tradition for valentines day! it looks so yummy.
and you are a lost fan? we LOVE lost, we are just a little tired of getting jerked around by the network. I totally don't get why they have such a screwy schedule for lost. i guess they figure they've got us all addicted, and they can string us along for as long as they want, cuz they know we will follow along like sheep.
anyway, loved this post!
>I will try not make this too long winded but when CJ and I started dating, we had a lot of fondue in an experimental form. He went to Switzerland on his mission and LOVES cheeses. He kept trying to recreate what he had as a missionary but I must say that a lot of the attempts were not very good and I did not enjoy the fondue. But then we went to the melting pot and had really good fondue. I told him if we could make it like that at home, I would have fondue with him anytime. So, after our learning curve, here is our authentic version of swiss fondue. You do have to go to Central Market for the cheeses but it is totally worth it.
Combine 12 ounces of grated Emmentaller Cheese (classic swiss cheese) with 4 ounces of grated Gruyere (the french version is Comte, if they do not have Gruyere) with 1 1/2 teaspoon of corn starch.
Rub the inside of a pot (on the stove) with a clove of garlic cut in half. Pour in 1 cup of White Wine (alcohol removed brand works fine)/White Juice and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Heat but do not boil. Right before boiling, add cheese slowly by handfuls while stirring. After cheese is melted add a dash of nutmeg and pepper. Transfer to a fondue pot.
Now the last thing we have learned… don't try to use a red wine/red juice… it is no good. Just stick with the white wines/juices. 🙂
Also, if you want real swiss fondue (meaning, even more strong cheese flavor), you can also use some Appenzeller Cheese. This cheese has a stronger flavor than the other two. Just make sure that your cheese measurements come out to a pound and you are good to go.
Now I want Fondue… maybe for dinner tomorrow. 🙂
>We did Fondue Christmas eve! Love fondue parties!!!1
>Looks yummy! I might just do this when my hubby comes back home!! Or maybe just for me!LOL!
>i love fondue! this looks wonderful Ü my family has a tradition of doing fondue on New Year's Eve too! I'll see if I can get my brother to give up his cheese fondue recipe – it's wonderful!