Fondue

Fondue had its beginnings in the Swiss-Jura (French) Alps and is now made all over the world. Fondues were traditional melted cheese or cubes cooked in oil or bouillon, and now include chocolate and all kinds of hot-pot cooking from all over the world.

Traditionally, la fondue was prepared in a caquelon, or a pot made of heavy earthenware, glazed ceramic, or enameled iron to distribute the heat evenly and to retain heat for longer periods of time.  Originally, the peasants probably had the earthenware varieties, while the upper classes favored the iron and the enamel coated iron.  Now, there are endless varieties of vessels for making la fondue.

Try our favorite recipes…

Court Bouillon Broth Fondue

Easy Swiss Cheese Fondue from the Melting Pot 

Fondue Bourguinoinne Style

Ginger Soy Wasabe Dipping Sauce for Fondue

Hoisin Dipping Sauce for Fondue

Island Sauce for Fondue

Thai Peanut Fondue Dipping Sauce for Fondue

The Original Melting Pot Chocolate Fondue Recipe

Traditional Cheese Fondue

Voodoo Cheddar Cheese Fondue

Wisconsin Trio Cheese Fondue

While I am at odds with the masses on this one, it is said that “A pretty woman is more beautiful in a gorgeous dress and a good entrée is transformed by delicious sauce.”  An endless array of sauces is what is desired by most with fondue, but I prefer it undressed or simply dressed, so we only have a few favorite sauces for fondue.

For fondue pots, we like the Emile Henry traditional fondue pot.  Emile Henry’s Flame line of ceramic cookware works on all types of stove tops (gas, electric and halogen) and in all types of ovens (traditional, convention and microwave). The fondue pots are clean, dishwasher-safe (though we don’t put ours in the dishwasher as it ruins the seasoning properties of the ceramic), and easy to handle.  Instructions for curing the ceramic fondue pot and more recipes can be found at Emile Henry’s site for Fondue Instructions.