Plan a Fondue Party

Fondue parties can be as elaborate or simple as you want. It all depends on how much money and time you want to spend. You can either serve several fondue courses or just choose one. Cheese, meat and dessert fondue are the three basic options. If you have a fondue pot, preparation is not difficult. An electric fondue pot is the easiest to use because its temperature is constant and it does not use flames, which can be unpredictable.

The easiest type of fondue to prepare is chocolate fondue, because you simply place all the ingredients into a warm fondue pot and stir occasionally. Strawberries, bananas, oranges, pound cake, and pretzels are all good to dip and easy to prepare. Cheese fondue is a little more complicated because it must be first prepared on the stove and then transferred to a warm fondue pot.

Activities:

Fondue can be an event in itself or can be combined with another activity. It is a more elegant meal, so watching an artsy independent film would go nicely with fondue.

Create a "History of Fondue Quiz" to educate and test your guests' knowledge. Spray-paint a wooden skewer with gold paint and award it to the winner as a trophy.

Menu:

Chocolate fondue: Use a mixture of semisweet and milk chocolate chips. This combination creates a rich yet light flavor. Chocolate chips melt faster than broken-up chocolate bars. 

Set out a variety of foods to dip like strawberries, cubed pieces of french bread, pretzels, bananas, cheesecake balls, pound cake, snickers bars, graham crackers, wafer cookies, marshmallows and rice-crispy treats.

Cheese fondue: Melt the cheese on the stovetop on the low setting then transfer it to a warm fondue pot. Recipes for classic Swiss cheese fondue have a very rich flavor and usually call for cherry brandy called kirsch (only use half of what the recipe calls for because this brandy is very strong). 

Meat fondue: Cut raw meat into small pieces. Heat vegetable oil in the fondue pot, and then let guests cook the meat of their choice in the oil.

Decorating Ideas:

Light lots of candles and votives to create a more romantic atmosphere. Or transform your house into a lounge by hanging white Christmas lights inside.

Roses or other flowers are also a nice touch to your table. Include cloth napkins and tie them with nice ribbon to dress up the place settings. 

Serve sparkling cider in elegant stemware. Make a charm for each individual to distinguish her glass from the rest and give the charms to the guests as a party favor.

Idea #1: High Tea

Idea #2: Pajama Party

Idea #4: Progressive Dinner




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