My husband’s family tradition for Christmas Eve dinner is gathering around the fondue pot where bite-sized pieces of chicken, beef, and cocktail franks are skewered with a fondue fork and cooked in a cauldron of hot vegetable oil. With a few new ideas from The Melting Pot restaurant, we stepped up the family tradition with some tasty and health-oriented variations.
For the Fondue Pot you’ll need:
- 1 quart of beef stock (plus an extra can)
- 1 cup of sherry
- Sprinkle of garlic powder
- White mushrooms, small whole, or cut in half
- Small potatoes (red, purple, or Dutch yellow peewees)
- Beef, cut into cubes
- Chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
- Shrimp, raw
- Cocktail franks
Clean and prep mushrooms and potatoes, cutting potatoes that are too large, so that they don’t take too long to cook.
We’ve switched from oil to broth in the fondue pot. Not only is it healthier for us, but the house no longer reeks of fried oil for days. Heat the beef stock, sherry, and garlic powder in the fondue pot. When it begins to steam, add a few potatoes and mushrooms at a time. They take several minutes to cook. Use a slotted spoon to retrieve them.
Skewer the raw meats with the fondue fork one at a time and place in the pot. They take about a minute to cook. When I take the meats out of the pot, I like to cut them in half on my plate to make sure they’re done. The special fondue plates have sections that keep the sauces and juices from running all together.
The Melting Pot introduced us to the idea of dipping sauces to accompany fondue meats and veggies. Previously nicknamed “Condiment King”, my husband has been evolving into a new moniker, “Master of Sauces”. Here are his favorite dipping sauces for fondue.
For each of the sauces, mix the following ingredients.
Gorgonzola Port
- ¼ Cup Mayo
- ¼ Cup Sour Cream
- 1 Ounce Gorgonzola Crumbled Cheese
- 1/8 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ¼ Teaspoon Pepper
- ½ Teaspoon Garlic
- ¼ Ounce Port
Green Goddess
- 8 Ounces Cream Cheese, whipped or softened
- ¼ Cup Milk
- ¼ Cup Sour Cream
- 1 Tablespoon Parsley
- Sprinkle of Onion Powder
Sour Cream Curry
- ½ Cup Sour Cream
- ½ Tablespoon Curry
- ¼ Teaspoon Salt
- ¼ Teaspoon Salt
- Sprinkle of Garlic Powder
Asian
- ¼ Cup Soy Sauce
- ¼ Cup Duck Sauce
- ½ Teaspoon Garlic
- ½ Teaspoon Ginger
Bang Bang
- ½ Cup Mayonnaise
- ¼ Cup Franks’ RedHot Sweet Chili Sauce
- A few drops of Sriracha Sauce
Boozy Lifestyle© 