Since we wanted to spend some time at home and do something as a family this Valentine's Day we thought it would be fun to have a 3 person FONDUE PARTY!
There are wonderful websites online that have countless recipes, etiquette tips
(but we have a 5 year old!), and equipment recommendations.
But you ask can fondue be vegetarian or even vegan? Yes it can. It can even be alcohol-free.
Here's one website I found as a good resource:
We did a 3 course fondue: cheese, broth, chocolate
Here's some pics of our Family Fondue V-Day Party.
Set the mood with some music. Here's Ella Fitzgerald's "My Funny Valentine"
Get the dippers ready for the cheese fondue. The cheese was rennet-free gruyere and swiss! We had multigrain bread, Gardein's little meaties, bell pepper, baby fingerling potatoes
Our broth was Asian inspired and in it we cooked crimini mushrooms, vegan spinach artichoke ravioli, green onions, baby fingerling potatoes, tofu puffs. To serve we had a variety of dipping sauces like Kecap Manis (indonesian sweet soy sauce), chinese mustard, sweet chili sauce, Veganaise with Laxmi brand mixed pickle.
Our fondue pot was kept at the right temperature with the help of Ecoflame.
Remember Sterno and its weird smell? Now you can get an earth-friendly fuel source for chafing dishes and fondues made with ethanol from sugar cane!
Here's the part my 5 year old could not wait for...the CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN.
This contraption was only $20 and I was pleasantly surprised at its engineering.
The ever-flowing fountain was dark chocolate chips and raw coconut oil...this dessert was a vegan delight.
Dippers:
Organic strawberries
Vegan Sweet and Sara toasted coconut marshmallows
Walnuts
Mint
MOCHI filled with peanut butter!
Fondue is a great way to spend time with your loved ones and can be prepared ahead of time so that you can sit, relax and enjoy each other's company. It's also a lot more affordable to do at home, then say going to the Melting Pot. You also have a lot more control over what you serve and the ingredients.
Happy Dipping!
