Every Christmas Eve my family sits around the table, turns on some holiday tunes (some new and funky, some traditional) and spend the evening talking, laughing and eating cheese, meat and dessert fondue.
Fondue is a French word that means “melted”.
Traditionally, diners use fondue “forks” to dip bits of food into hot, semi-liquid cheese sauce, oil, broth or chocolate. The pot holding the sauce is usually earthen pottery or metal with some type of heating element underneath, such as a wick, tealight or gel alcohol (Sterno).
While cheese fondue is the most popular and best known type of fondue, you can create a whole meal with meats and dessert.
My favorite combination consists of the following:
• 1 Pot for Meat (vegetable or peanut oil)
Peanut oil tastes the best, but it high in fat and is very expensive. For a healthier option, you can use chicken or beef broth, which is really good! Cooking in oil is my preferred method…steak is my favorite, but a lot of people also like dipping cubed pork. I usually go to Buffalo Wild Wings to get a variety of sauces to dip the meat into after it’s cooked (which usually only takes a minute!). I also love to dip mushrooms – they’re the best! If you use broth, you can also dip veggies, such as carrots. If you use a broth liquid, when you are done with the fondue, add noodles to create a soup.
Tip: An electric pot is ideal for meat so you can cook the meat evenly.
• 1 Pot for Cheese
Cheese fondue is really easy to make…Swiss cheese is my favorite. I like to start on the stove, by cooking two cloves of garlic in olive oil, then adding the cheese (it melts best if you shred it) and white wine. If the sauce is too thin, add flour or corn starch. If it’s too thick, add more wine. You can use a variety of breads to dip into the cheese, such as Italian, sourdough or ciabatta. Be sure to cube the bread for easy dipping! After the cheese is melted, I usually rub one piece of garlic on the inside of the fondue pot. This prevents the ingredients from separating in the pot. Then you just light your wick or tealight or Sterno burner and you’re ready to dip.
Tip: A low-heat method works best with cheese.
• 1 Pot for Dessert
Here’s my kids favorite part of the fondue – the dessert! We like to make a chocolate fondue for dessert. You can dip strawberries, bananas or pineapple. The great thing about using chocolate is you can cover it once cooled and stick it in the fridge. It’s easy to reheat in the microwave so you can enjoy for days after.
Tip: A tealight method works best for chocolate as it doesn’t need to be super hot.
As this can be a heavy meal, try something light and fizzy to drink, like Sprite with raspberries.
Enjoy and happy holidays!
Xoxo, Katie
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