Planning a fondue party

» Party Ideas

A fondue party has come to mean any type of hot food served in a fondue pot into which other foods are dipped. The word fondue is derived from the French word "frondre", which means to melt. Fondues can be an intimate get-together of a group of friends, best not more than six to keep it cozy. Fondues are a lot fun. Guests have fun preparing their own meals and are especially popular during cold winters. Retrieving lost tidbits in the communal pot often leads to silliness and joking.

When planning a fondue party, you should give free rein to your imagination.

At a fondue party the guests are seated around one or more fondue pot containing melted cheese or chocolate or hot oil. Small bite-sized food cubes skewered onto a fondue fork is dipped into the pot and then eaten. Fondue forks are usually color coded. Guests choose their own color of fondue fork to identify their own food, usually two or three forks.

Decide which type of fondue you will be preparing

Fondues can be part of the main course of a meal, or the dessert.

A classic main course fondue is the beef fondue. Beef is cubed and dipped into hot broth or oil. Today, not only is beef served, but pork, lamb, chicken or cocktail sausages have also become popular. You may serve more than one type of meat at your party. These chunks are dipped into hot oil or broth. You should serve side sauces with the meat course. Let your imagination go and prepare small side dishes with a range of different sauces, such as ketchup, chutney, pepper, chili and mustard etc. You will be able to buy many different ready-made sauces in a packet at your grocery store. Another idea is to serve firm mushrooms with the meat chunks.

Serve with your fondue a tossed green salad or other salad of your liking and crunchy dinner rolls. If you are not planning a dessert fondue, serve a simple dessert such as fresh fruit and cheese.

Another main course fondue is the cheese fondue. Melted cheese is served in a fondue pot with chunks of firm bread, apple and raw vegetables. A cheese fondue can be served as a starter at a cozy winter dinner party to set the scene for an exciting evening.

A dessert fondue is traditionally served with hot chocolate. Marshmallows, cake squares and brownie chunks are popular with this dish, but large sweet strawberries or blueberries can round off an evening well.

Preparing the food for a fondue party

Most of this party can be prepared before your guests arrive. Slice the meat and cut the bread, cakes and fruits into squares a few hours before the party. Put all the foodstuffs in bowls, wrap with cellophane and place in the refrigerator. The cheese and chocolate for the dip sauces can be chopped, grated or cubed in advance as well. Wait until your guests have arrived before you heat the ingredients together to avoid over-thickening.

Preparing the table for a fondue party

Prepare the table for no more than 6 people.

Fondues may be messy and if you are using oil it might splatter on your table. It is a good idea to protect your table with a table cloth. Be sure to place protective place mats or a wooden tray underneath the fondue pots.

Place the fondue pot(s) in the center of the table with the dishes of food chunks and sauces arranged around the pot(s). All the guests should be able to reach the fondue pot(s) from their seats.

Prepare at least two dishes of each foodstuff and sauce.

It is best to serve each course of fondue separately by beginning with cheese, then the broth or oil and finish with dessert. Although it is recommended to separate the different fondue dishes, sometimes it might be fun to serve the cheese and meat fondue together if you are only two or four people.

Serve the same wine that you would serve at a regular dinner. If you added wine to the fondues dip mixtures, serve the same with your meal; high quality white wine with cheese and high quality red wine with meat. If you are serving chicken, you should serve white wine as well for those guests that may prefer white wine. Kirsch (cherry brandy) is a common ingredient in both the cheese and chocolate fondues.

Romantic fondue for two

Fondues can be very intimate and romantic. A romantic fondue for two can start with serving a cheese and meat fondue. The evening can be rounded off with a chocolate and strawberry dessert. Be sure to dim the lights and play romantic music in the background.

Foods for a cheese and oil/broth fondue

Beef cubes
Lamb cubes
Pork cubes
Chicken cubes
Cocktail sausages
Shrimp
Fresh whole mushrooms
Cooked Shrimp
Cherry tomatoes
Green pepper wedges
Small whole onions
Potato cubes
Broccoli
Pineapple chunks

Which fondue set to use

You will need at least one fondue pot, if not more.

There is a wide variety of different fondue pots available on the market. Here are few pointers to consider when choosing a fondue pot.

Choose one that will suit the number of people at your party. Every person should have at least two forks.
Ceramic fondue pots are a good choice for both cheese and chocolate fondues. You will normally heat the cheese or melt the chocolate in a separate pot on the stove and then move it over to the fondue pot before serving. These pots usually use a candle burner.
A stainless steel electric fondue pot is an excellent choice for an oil or broth fondue. It heats up quickly, is easy to clean (the thermostat is removable), and is large enough to accommodate up to eight fondue dipping forks.
Choose a fondue set that cleans easily. This is especially important when you buy an electrical set.
Make sure that the set contains enough fondue forks, at least two per person, and that they are individually marked; different colors are helpful.

Few standard recipes

Cheese for cheese fondue

300 ml dry white wine
1 clove of chopped garlic
225 g Swiss cheese cut into pieces
60 ml flour
2 250 g cans condensed cheddar cheese soup
Cubed French bread or whole wheat bread

Heat wine and garlic in a saucepan or fondue pot until simmering. Combine cheese and flour. Gradually blend into wine. Heat until cheese is melted, while stirring occasionally. Blend in soup and stir until smooth.

Oil for meat fondue

Cooking oil
1 tsp. salt

Heat oil until a cube of bread browns quickly. Add salt. Pour oil into fondue pot.

Chocolate for dessert fondue

250 g of your favourite chocolate
250 ml cream

Bring the cream to boiling in a small pot. Unwrap the chocolate and break into small pieces. Add the chocolate pieces to the fondue pot and pour heated cream over the chocolate. Let the mixture sit for about five minutes. Stir to make sure the chocolate is melted. This mixture can be made in advance and re-heated when ready to serve.