Fondue used to be an entertaining staple, and still has retro cache. Thanks to a resurgence of interest in this 1970s dining delight, it’s easy to find fondue sets and recipes on the web and in stores.
I personally love fondue for entertaining – not for a dinner party, however. When I do fondue, I do it as the centerpiece on the buffet at a cocktail party. It is inexpensive, delicious, and wildly popular. Of course – who could turn down hunks of bread or crudites dripping with melted gooey cheese?
Traditional cheese fondue is made with emmentaler, gruyere, and a splash of kirsch (a cherry brandy). You can use white wine, apple cider, or champagne in lieu of the kirsch – all of which you are more likely to have on hand. A variety of cheeses can also be used; ask your local cheesemonger for a recommendation or scan the web for a recipe.
A crusty baguette or Italian bread roughly chopped into cubes or crisp broccoli florets, snow peas, and baby carrots are great for dipping, and inexpensive wood shish kebab sticks, points down in a narrow glass or vase next to the fondue pot, are the perfect skewers.
For super flavor, rub a cut garlic clove all over the inside of your pot before making the cheese mixture.
As for the pot, you cannot go wrong with one of these options. The Le Creuset is a real winner because it can do cheese, oil, or chocolate, and because it can go directly from the stovetop to the base; the electric Cuisinart is good if you don’t want an open flame on your buffet.
Clockwise from top left: All-Clad Stainless Steel Fondue Pot, $149.95 from Williams-Sonoma; Cuisinart Electric Fondue Pot, $59.99 from Bed, Bath & Beyond; Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron Fondue Pot in Cherry, $139.95 from Cooking.com.
I have purchased some really good fondue pots via eBay. You can find some very cheap ones, and the quality is often quite high. Just make sure to check out the sellers reputation first, and you should be fine.
Great idea in using it as the centerpiece on the buffet, will have to give that a try.