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Three Cooks One Kitchen: How to Throw a Fondue Party (Or Not)

in Other, Snacks

In my weekend wrap-up post on Monday, I mentioned that a little fondue-ing happened this past Saturday.  I also stated that it did not turn out quite how we had hoped.  In this month’s Three Cooks One Kitchen post, I am going to share How to Throw a Fondue Party.  Or perhaps I should say, how to “theoretically” throw a fondue party.  We had great intentions that did not exactly pan out.

Three Cooks One Kitchen BannerHow to Throw a Fondue Party (Or Not)

Back in January when we were enjoying our Fish Fiesta, we thought of a few potential ideas for February’s 3C1K post.  Ultimately, we decided that fondue would be perfect.  It is “romantic,” which was fitting for February, it is delicious, and it sounded like the perfect eating event for a little pre-BeerFest lunch with friends.  We chose a cheese fondue and a chocolate fondue, along with numerous “dippers.”  Both recipes sounded rather simple, so we figured “what could possibly go wrong?”

3c1k fondueEverything started out great.  In fact, it was better than great!  Not only were the “three cooks” present, but we also had an honorary guest cook (and our significant others, who sat the cooking part out).  Our friend, Jordan, joined us in the kitchen, and we were so happy to have her!  It’s a shame that her first 3C1K didn’t turn out to be all that great.  Even still, we did have fun.

Now I am going to theoretically show you how to throw a fondue party.  Whether or not the fondue-ing is successful, however, is 100% up to you 😉

3c1k fondue 10The first thing we did was tackle all of the dippers.  We cut fruit,

3c1k fondue 2chopped veggies,

3c1k fondue 5sliced bread, and presented everything on super cute plates and in adorable bowls.

3c1k fondue 8Joanna and Jordan took the reigns when it came to making the cheese fondue.

3c1k fondue 7After the cheese was nearly ready, Erin, Joanna, and I tackled making the chocolate fondue.  I say “tackle” because it was quite the undertaking.

3c1k fondue 9Thank goodness Jordan was there to help stir the cheese while anything and everything that could possibly go wrong with the chocolate went wrong.

3c1k fondue 19First, the chocolate was super thick and resembled brownie batter.  As a result, we decided to add a bit more cream.  Then the chocolate got both clumpy and liquified all at the same time.  It was an utter mess.  Jordan tried to salvage it by pouring out some of the liquid and melting in some marshmallows, but we all agreed that it was a lost cause.

3c1k fondue 20Thank goodness we at least had plenty of food to dip into the “chocolate!”  We served sliced Granny Smith apples (which also paired well with the cheese), sliced bananas, marshmallows, salted potato chips (perfect for sweet and salty cravings), animal cookies, and chopped strawberries.

3c1k fondue 12The cheese fondue turned out better than the chocolate, but still wasn’t quite spot on.  It was very thick, which I think may have been a result of not using an acidic wine.  We thought the acidity from the added lemon juice would be sufficient, but apparently that was not the case.

3c1k fondue 11But again, we had plenty of delicious food to eat with (or without) the cheese.  We sliced up both pretzel bread and naan, and served potato chips, cauliflower, broccoli, and red pepper strips.

3c1k fondue 17See what I mean about it being thick?  It was not very dippable or scoopable.

3c1k fondue 18That certainly did not stop any of us from giving it a go, though.

3c1k fondue collageIt also led to plenty of laughs and entertainment.  Trust me when I say that you must have a good sense of humor when it comes to fondue.

3c1k fondue 25I tried my best to get crafty and made a few of these mini sandwiches.  I scooped some cheese onto one piece of sliced pretzel bread and topped with it a potato chip, apple slice, red pepper strip, and a second slice of bread.  The salty, sweet, and savoriness of this really worked!  I suppose we can call this sandwich a mini success.

3c1k fondue 22Even though the chocolate did not turn out how we had hoped, there were a few brave souls who gave it a try.

3c1k fondue 21At least we all got a good laugh out of it, right?

I think it is safe to say that we probably won’t be fondue-ing again anytime soon.  Both Erin and Joanna used their fondue pots for the first time, and I think both would agree that they may not be using them all that often 😉

If you are planning a fondue party in the near future, I highly recommend testing out your fondue recipes ahead of time.  It could save you a lot of hassle.  I also recommend serving up plenty of delicious dippers.  If worse comes to worse and the fondue doesn’t turn out quite right, at least you’ll have plenty of other food to snack on!

Check out the other two chefs’ posts here:

Erin’s Three Cooks One Kitchen Post
Joanna’s Three Cooks One Kitchen Post

Have you ever made your own fondue?  If so, was it a success?
What are your favorite fondue dippers?

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{ 30 comments… add one }
  • Erin @ Her Heartland Soul February 26, 2015, 12:26 am
    How to throw a fondue party: Step 1- Go to Melting Pot! haha While this probably our least tasty 3 Cooks 1 Kitchen I think it was one of our most fun ones! :D
    • ClnEatingVegGrl February 26, 2015, 10:47 am
      Baha!! Love your "Step 1!!" I definitely want to try out Melting Pot sometime to see what REAL fondue tastes like ;)
  • Stacie @ SimplySouthernStacie February 26, 2015, 6:21 am
    This is why I only get fondue at restaurants ; ) I leave that mess to the pros so I can just eat everything. Stacie @ SimplySouthernStacie recently posted...Sometimes…My Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl February 26, 2015, 10:48 am
      You are a smart, smart person! I'll definitely be leaving it up to the pros from here on out :)
  • Dana February 26, 2015, 7:17 am
    I've only ever made chocolate fondue before (though I have made cheese dips, but never called them fondue). I think all I did was take a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips and dump it in the fondue pot, turned it on, a stirred it a little. I remember it being very good with strawberries!
    • ClnEatingVegGrl February 26, 2015, 10:50 am
      Well it sounds like you had a lot better luck than we did!!! Ours was definitely a disaster ;)
  • Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine February 26, 2015, 7:27 am
    Now chocolate fondue I'd do ;) Cheese...obviously not so much ;)
    • ClnEatingVegGrl February 26, 2015, 10:52 am
      I REALLY want to try chocolate fondue now... that is actually fondue, haha! It sounds amazingly delicious!
  • Trisha February 26, 2015, 8:23 am
    Oh my gosh. This is SUCH a funny post. Well, at least you had beerfest to make up for it, right. ;) Trisha recently posted...Gluten Free Blueberry French Toast CasseroleMy Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl February 26, 2015, 10:57 am
      Yes! The food definitely did NOT turn out how we had planned. Luckily, however, everyone had a really great sense of humor about it. We all enjoyed plenty of laughs :)
  • Sara Giboney @ Sweet Success February 26, 2015, 9:11 am
    I threw a fondue party a couple of years ago, and I used a mix of swiss, gruyere and dry white wine with a thickener (corn starch). It turned out perfectly. I think for the chocolate, I just used semisweet chocolate and heavy cream. But it was a lot of work : ) I think I've used my fondue pot maybe twice in the six years that I've had it! Sara Giboney @ Sweet Success recently posted...What you need to know about essential oilsMy Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl February 26, 2015, 10:59 am
      Well you are one LUCKY person.. or very talented when it comes to fondue. I wish we had even half of the skill that it sounds like you have for fondue-ing! ;)
  • Sam @ Grapefruit & Granola February 26, 2015, 11:01 am
    Fondue seems like it's really tricky to get right. We registered for a bunch of fondue stuff when we got married and got everything except the actual fondue pot. We never purchased it on our own because it is such an unfamiliar territory for us. Thanks for sharing your experience! Hopefully you guys got some good laughs out of the whole thing.
    • ClnEatingVegGrl February 26, 2015, 12:59 pm
      Hah! That's so funny that you got EVERYTHING you needed except the actual fondue pot. What is the luck? If our experience is anything like the norm, you might want to just go to Melting Pot ;)
  • Linda @ Veganosity February 26, 2015, 2:06 pm
    We used our fondue pots once a year, New Year's Eve. This year we decided to forgo the hassle, but now I feel like trying my favorite cashew cheese as a fondue. Maybe for our anniversary? It looks like you had fun anyway. :)
    • ClnEatingVegGrl February 26, 2015, 3:40 pm
      Whoa, that sounds like it'd be awesome! Let me know if you try it and how it turns out. I LOVE cashew cheese :)
  • Hollie Ramsey February 26, 2015, 3:08 pm
    I've thrown all kinds of parties but never a fondue party. Looks like I've got the theme for my next one! Hollie Ramsey recently posted...The NEWBIE shares: Tripling blog views, comments and followers with Facebook in just one monthMy Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl February 26, 2015, 3:41 pm
      It is sure to be a fun time!! Though as I said above, I definitely recommend testing out the recipes beforehand ;)
  • Dani @ DaniCaliforniaCooks February 26, 2015, 4:53 pm
    Last time I went to a fondue party I didn't even make it out in the evening because I ate too much. Talk about a food coma!
    • ClnEatingVegGrl February 26, 2015, 5:28 pm
      Haha!! I can understand why. It is super filling, especially if a lot of carby food is involved!
  • Jordan S February 26, 2015, 7:26 pm
    Even though it wasn't a huge success it was soo much fun! I was so glad I was invited! I have not laughed that hard in a while. ;)
    • ClnEatingVegGrl February 26, 2015, 7:48 pm
      It was quite hysterical! And thank goodness, because otherwise not eating much would have been very sad :(
  • Ashley February 26, 2015, 7:47 pm
    Oh my gosh those pictures of the cheese!!! One of my friends tried to make fondue for valentine's day and had the same experience with the chocolate ... so you are not alone!! At least you guys all had a great sense of humor about it! Ashley recently posted...How to Make Balsamic GlazeMy Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl February 26, 2015, 7:50 pm
      That is good to hear! It seems so simple, but it most definitely is not... at least not for us! ;)
  • Kelly @ Hidden Fruits and Veggies February 27, 2015, 6:43 am
    Fondue always sounds pretty easy -- melt some cheese, melt some chocolate, bam! Apparently not! But my only experiences with it is my mom making it with the stinkiest cheese imaginable (in her defense, it's what the recipe called for) and I've never ventured near it again lol. Kelly @ Hidden Fruits and Veggies recently posted...Whole Wheat Spinach BreadMy Profile
    • ClnEatingVegGrl February 27, 2015, 9:22 am
      Yeah, I don't recommend giving it a try... either we had no clue what we were doing (totally possible), or it really isn't as easy as it seems!
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