Fabulous Fondue Dinner Menu
All the makings for a fondue dinner party, including a full menu for cheese, meat and seafood fondues, a chocolate fondue, plus all the dips, sauces and dippers! Info includes the tools required, timelines and tips and tricks.
What do you think of when you hear the word fondue? The first thought that enters my mind chocolate. Mmmm chocolate. Chocolate smothered strawberries and bananas…can’t you just taste them?! And don’t forget the cheese. The hot, gooey, delicious and rich melted cheese smothered bread chunks. So good.
Fun, fabulous and delicious!
A couple of weeks ago we hosted a fondue party and it was so much fun! I wish I could show you a ‘Martha Stewart’ party, complete with all the perfect invitations, menus, printables, and decorations but I don’t have them. And please excuse the pictures, we were too busy eating and having fun to capture any perfect pics…hopefully next time. The important thing is that I share all of the delicious recipes with you!
A Complete Fondue Menu
Not only will you get some tasty recipes to try, but you also got to see some fondue pots that are the real deal…I’m talking 1970’s real deal…like pots that made their rounds at the first fondues of our time. Now how’s that for authentic?! And I’m hoping that you will find this a one-stop-shop-party!
Now it’s time to partaaaaaaay!
What you need for your Fondue:
First, let’s get everything you need to make your dinner a success. Here are all the supplies you need:
- 3 Fondue pots (we used 4: one pot was for shrimp only)
- One for Meat & Seafood: 1 pot for the oil – use an electric, stainless steel or cast iron pot for oil fondues. Make sure that the pot that you use for oil has a splash guard around the rim of the pot to prevent splashing.
- One for Cheese Fondue: Use a ceramic fondue pot over a flame. We use gel fuel pots – you can find these at WalMart or any major grocery store.
- One for Chocolate: Use a ceramic fondue pot over a tea light.
- Fuel: tea lights, gel fuel pots and vegetable oil.
- Fondue forks: make sure you have at least 2 per person.
- Little bowls for dips and sauces
- Napkins: have a lot
- Serving plates
Fondue Preparation Timeline:
Here’s a quick timeline to help you organize and prepare:
- Make your dips first. These are best made early in the day so the flavours in them can meld together.
- Prep all your vegetables and fruit ahead of time. Wash and cut them up in to bite sized pieces. Again, this is best to do early in the day so you are all ready to go at dinner time!
- Slice your meat. Do this early and put it in your fridge until dinner time.
- De-thaw any seafood you are serving.
- About an hour or so before your fondue dinner, roast any veggies that you plan on serving. They don’t have to be hot right out of the oven at fondue time. Most people like to warm them up in the cheese or even the oil.
3 Delicious Fondues Recipes:
Here are 3 different fondue recipes:
- Meat: Great for steak, seafood and chicken.
- Cheese: Great for dipping vegetables, breads and cured meats.
- Chocolate: A wonderful dessert recipe for dipping fruit, cakes and marshmallows.
Cheese Fondue
Ingredients
- 1 clove garlic cut in half lengthwise
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 lb Gruyere and/or Emmentaler cheese. Shredded should make about 9 cups total.
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice about 1 lemon
Dippers for Cheese Fondue:
- chunks of bread
- cooked meat
- fresh vegetables: grape tomatoes broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms
- roasted vegetables: cauliflower potatoes, bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, carrots, parsnips
Instructions
- Before you get your fondue pot hot, rub the inside of it thoroughly with the cut garlic halves, then thrown them out.
- Pour the wine into the fondue pot, and place over medium-low heat. (See notes)
- When the wine starts to bubble, add the cheese by the handful, stirring until melted and combined.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch with lemon juice until the cornstarch dissolves, then stir the mixture into the cheese mixture.
- Continue whisking the cheese mixture until it is smooth and bubbling slightly.
- Serve immediately.
Meat Fondue
Ingredients
- sirloin steak cut into strips
- shrimp
- chunks of chicken
- vegetable oil for cooking
Instructions
- Fill your fondue pots 1/2 - 2/3 full with vegetable oil.
- Turn on the heat, and when the temperature reaches around 350 - 365 degrees it's ready to cook in.
Chocolate Fondue
Ingredients
- 1 lb semisweet chocolate
- 2 cups heavy cream
Chocolate Fondue Dippers:
- strawberries
- bananas
- chunks of pineapple
- chunks of white cake
- marshmallows
Instructions
- On your stove, place a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water.
- Add the chocolate and cream.
- Using a wooden spoon, stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is creamy and smooth.
- Once it's smooth, transfer the chocolate mix to a fondue pot, and set over a warming candle like a tea light. See notes.
- Serve immediately.
Now on to the dips!
Dips and Sauces:
The general rule for fondue dips and sauces, is that there should be at least 3-4 different kinds for your seafood and meats.
- Cocktail sauce for the shrimp (store bought is great!)
- Peanut sauce
- Horseradish-Dijon mustard dip
- Chimichurri sauce
Peanut Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp finely chopped onion
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 3 tbsp water
- 1 - 2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tsp tomato paste
- 3/4 tsp sugar
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, cook the onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes in oil until soft, about 4 minutes.
- Whisk in the remaining ingredients, and simmer while stirring, about 1 minute.
- Cool.
Horseradish and Dijon Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup sour cream
- 6 tbsp prepared horseradish
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- coarse salt and freshly ground paper
Instructions
- Stir sour cream, horseradish, and mustard in a small bowl.
- Season with salt and pepper.
Chimichurri Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup packed fresh parsley chopped
- 1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic minced
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar white wine vinegar works well too
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients together, and let sit for at least 2 hours.
- Tip: Make this dip first, then prep everything else for your fondue while it rests.
Fondues really are such a fun time! I dare anyone not to have a great time dipping and cooking their food. It makes for great conversation and good times! They make for great romantic dinners too…maybe even this Valentines Day. Just sayin’
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Have a delicious day!
Now how fun is that?! I absolutely love fondue – both the cheese and the chocolate ones. But I don’t have any fondue pots! I think I should start looking for them in Goodwill when I go. 🙂
Try EBAy
YUM!!!! I love fondue! Your pots are awesome! Josh and I had fondue in France and it was gooooood! We also had it a friend’s house in Switzerland and it was the best we ever had. SO yum and such a fun novelty type meal 🙂
OMG!! I love those pots – deja vuvu!!
this looks so good! I almost hosted a fondue party last weekend but it got turned into a superbowl party instead. still that chocolate is calling my name!
Fun and appetizing. Looks so good! If you receive a fondue set as a gift be sure to invite the gifter to enjoy with you as they will delight in seeing you use their gift.
Oh geez, when I hear the word fondue, I’m transported back to the seventies and fonduing with my family!
I still have the ol’ pot; you’ve inspired me to dust it off!
Fondues take me back to being a young girl in the UK in the 70’s. For our birthdays, my sister and I and our best friends, also sisters, would go ice-skating at the ice-rink in Bristol, and come home for a fondue dinner. Four times a year, for I don’t know how many years…
Needless to say we weren’t very good skaters – hence my limited abilities out on Lake Bonavista now. I can go forwards, but don’t ask me to look at any of the fancy houses because I have to keep my eyes on the ice – those cracks are lethal for one of my skill level!!
Great idea! I’m going to be on the lookout for fondue pots while I’m out thrifting! Have a blessed week!
Out thrifting as well…no luck
Have you ever tried the Tobelerone chocolate fondue recipe Jo-Anna? It’s deadly!
What kind of wine’s complimented your fondue?