Last weekend we had a group of friends from church over for dinner and we served fondue. In preparation, we tried several new recipes ahead of time and bought some bigger fondue pots. The evening was a success, although I'd do some things differently next time. And right now, I'm a little "fondued out." (We tried a recipe on Friday night, served it on Saturday night, and finished up the leftovers with another fondue on Sunday night!) But, I wanted to share these yummy recipes with you in case you want to have your own fondue party.
Fondue Broth (don't be afraid to add the cocktail sauce)
Honey Mustard Sauce and Garlic Dill Sauce (didn't have dill for the Garlic Dill Sauce, so added chives)
Horseradish Sauce (We also served barbecue sauce and chipotle mayonnaise.)
Flaming Turtle Chocolate Fondue
The kids had a pizza fondue with warm pizza sauce for dipping (chunks of cheese, bread, etc.).
We tried two new fondue pots: an electric Cuisinart pot and an electric Rival pot. We preferred the Cuisinart model. Both fondue pots heated well and cleaned up fine, but the Rival model had a plastic ring (to use while resting the forks during cooking) instead of a metal ring. The plastic ring warped during high heat and was hard to keep on the pot. The other fondue pots we used were heated by candle or sterno and they all worked fine for appetizers and desserts.
I've also been busy watching movies. I caught the end of North by Northwest the other day, but I'm not going to scratch it off the list since I didn't see the whole thing. I did see all of Dr. Strangelove and Easy Rider. It turns out that I must have previously seen more of Dr. Strangelove than I remembered because it all seemed familiar to me. I don't really like this movie. It's not a bad movie, but it's not a "Beth" movie. I was very surprised by Easy Rider. I thought it was just a motorcycle drug movie, but it was way more than that. It gave me a lot to think about and even though it was a bit hard to watch at times, I'm glad I saw it. Next up is American Graffiti. (I've seen some of this, too, but I'm not sure how much.) I also watched the original Goodbye, Mr. Chips even though it's not on the list. What a great movie!
There has been knitting during all the movie-watching. I'll show you that next time... :)
Yeah for knitting and movies! I could use a fire in the fireplace, a movie and some knittig with a cup of hot lemon tea.
Posted by: Kristen M. | September 25, 2007 at 12:37 PM
I can remember my parents having cheese fondue in front of the fireplace on special nights. I loved it!
Posted by: Carole | September 25, 2007 at 01:22 PM
Since my husband is half swiss, fondue is very big in our house. Of course, by fondue I only mean the original, family recipe cheese fondue. The only cheese that is acceptable is gruyere and emmentaler, half and half. And the nutmeg must be fresh ground! The pot we have is an enameled cast iron one that was given to us by my father in law. We always have fondue on Christmas eve.
I need more movie knitting! I never seem to get to be in charge of the TV though. I netflixed Borat but I have a feeling that would NEVER make the top 100. or even 1000. I do kow I have seen part of American Graffiti too but I am not sure how much. Please do report on how you like it!
Posted by: patti | September 25, 2007 at 01:37 PM
Fondued out eh Beth!!! What a nice idea for a gathering....these recipes sound very rich and filling.
Have a great week....
Posted by: Geraldine | September 25, 2007 at 02:01 PM
sounds yummy! I love fondue, it's alot of work though isn;t it?
Posted by: Lisa | September 25, 2007 at 03:26 PM
Yum! You made my mouth water. We do fondue every year for New Years but we do chicken, steak and shrimp and sever with twice baked potatoes and a big salad. Went to a restaurant up there that does fondue and oh, my, it was SO good!
Sheri in GA
Posted by: Sheri | September 25, 2007 at 05:52 PM
I haven't had fondue since the early 80's. I'm so glad that it's making a comeback. What doesn't taste better drenched in cheese??? Or chocolate???
Thanks for sharing the recipes and the thoughts on different pots. I may just have to make a little fondue one of these weekends when the weather cools off a bit.
Posted by: Sheepish Annie | September 25, 2007 at 08:08 PM
Fondue is one of those things I haven't tried yet. Actually, the only time I've had it was at The Melting Pot and I liked it alot. Probably because they did the clean-up :)
Posted by: Restless Knitter | September 25, 2007 at 10:27 PM
I have not had much fondue, but what I've had, I've liked! Sounds like it was a fun time! Sorry I have been so bad with email. I'm smack in the middle of work. It will get worse before it gets better. But as soon as I finish this (or it slows down) and I finish DJ's wallaby, I am so ready for our next knitalong.
Easy Rider was hard for me to watch, too. I just turned it off eventually. I did like American Graffiti, esp. the music! But it has been a long time since I saw it. I loved seeing all of the huge stars, before they were huge stars.
Posted by: Katie | September 25, 2007 at 10:44 PM
Sounds like you are having lots of good knitting time with all the movies to watch! I'm thinking of subscribing to Netflix this fall. Is that where you get your movies, and if so, do you like it?
Posted by: Debby | September 26, 2007 at 10:05 AM
I am so going to order a Fondue Pot. It made me smile and the recipes look yummy. Reminded me of the Fondue Pot my mom had when I was a kid. It was either burnt orange or olive green. Does that date me?
Posted by: Leah | September 26, 2007 at 01:28 PM
Oh, what a great idea for a party!
Posted by: Stephanie | September 26, 2007 at 02:30 PM
Delicious!! And so much variety in your recipes!! My kids always favored dipping fruit in chocolate....although the steak strips and mushrooms in olive oil was a fave too!
:)
Posted by: Pooch | September 26, 2007 at 10:39 PM
I have not had fondue since the early seventies! I did not even know it was back "in"! Gonna have to give it another whirl! Thanks for the informative post.
Posted by: Julie | September 27, 2007 at 05:38 AM
I am one of the few, the weird, who have never had fondue...
perhaps this is due to my upbringing here in the west.
West=meat+potato's
Posted by: Marti | September 27, 2007 at 08:41 AM
Oh, in the seventies, we really did up the fondue. I'll have to get that out again! Had I known there would be a big fondue re-do, I would have saved my pots! In fact, just the other day, I saw the sweetest little chocolate fondue pot at TJ Maxx...I was so tempted. Thanks for the recipes!
Posted by: Lynne | September 27, 2007 at 07:36 PM
I have never had fondue, but it sure sounds good! I love the thought of dipping things in garlic-cheese sauce!
Posted by: randi | September 30, 2007 at 11:33 PM
i have wanted a fondue pot for YEARS! i think it is time i bought one!
thanks for the links~!
Posted by: leslie | October 04, 2007 at 11:32 AM
Thanks for all the recipes and the inspiration for a great evening. I have 2 pots that I should bring out of hibernation.
Posted by: Patricia | October 05, 2007 at 11:16 AM