each Thanksgiving –
And, we really should do it more often…
Why don’t we?!
Our menu almost always includes the following:
Cheese Fondue with new potatoes, broccoli, apples, and bread cubes
Main Course [fried with or without batter or cooked in broth] – shrimp, beef, chicken, and mushrooms with cheese for stuffing…
And of course – Chocolate Fondue
for dessert – with pound cake cubes, cherries, and marshmallows [we’ve
had strawberries and bananas too,
since we’re all about keeping it
healthy – lol]
Here’s some tips to keep things flowing nicely throughout the meal:
Our
table is set with fondue pots at each end so everyone can reach it
easily with a lazy susan in the middle for [somewhat] easy access – we
use fondue plates I pick up at thrift stores whenever I find them, and
we have a little bowl for
the raw meat since you don’t want to mix the raw with the cooked.
I
do a little prep work ahead of time – Chopping most everything into
bite-sized pieces.
I cook the little potatoes [no one wants to bite
into a raw potato!] and usually steam the broccoli a bit too –the apples
are set aside in some lemon juice so they don’t discolor.
I cook the cheese fondue right
before the meal and keep it warm on the stove top [hint: don’t skimp on
the cheese; gruyere makes a HUGE difference between a good fondue and
GREAT fondue!] When it’s time to eat the potatoes,
apples, bread cubes, and broccoli are arranged [piled] on the LID of
the divided container I use for the raw meats… then set on the lazy
susan and we’re ready to go!
[The men take care of adjusting the flame
underneath each one…]
[daughter-in-love brought the MOST DELICOUS broth this year!]
while we’re enjoying the cheese fondue – then we [again, the men – ha] carefully bring it to the table while I’m getting the pre-cut raw meats out of the fridge and arranging them in their container, with the mushrooms –a family favorite.
You can use whatever meats you want, we prefer a bit of beef and shrimp, and a whole lot of chicken and mushrooms.
Clean and pull the stems from your mushrooms ahead of time.
– I put the softened cream cheese in little cups around the table with spreaders.
[Double hint: you stuff the mushroom with {garden vegetable} soft cream cheese, dip it in batter and give a good fry – OH MY. So very good!]
I
take a quick break and clean the cheese from the two fondue pots
[saving what little is left for a re-heat later in the week…] and put
the chocolate fondue in these.
[I forgot to mention, I prep the
chocolate fondue ahead of time on a
make-shift double boiler and leave it to stay warm on the stove, so
it’s ready at a moment’s notice!] I like these two fondue pots because
they can both be used a double boilers [meaning VERY hot water is in the
bottom area and the fondue is setting on a bowl
on top.]
For me, this is the BEST way to insure your fondue doesn’t
burn on the bottom.
[Triple hint – I keep a big pot of water boiling on
the stove so I can prepare these fondue pots – during both courses
without waiting on water to boil - ]
I usually have
the dessert container ready to go with cherries [drained] cubes of
pound cake, marshmallows cut in half, bananas, strawberries, etc. so
that it can replace the meat tray on the lazy susan quickly.
All-in-all
a really fun, interactive, and delicious meal
that each person can
tailor to what they want to eat.
I love it – and I think the rest of the
family does too –
-Here's the place setting -
I know you were dying to see it - ha.
I used plastic plates [Old Time Pottery] as chargers, fondue plates from thrift stores,
and glass bowls [label is taped on underneath.]
The skewers are tied with a bit of orange ribbon to contrast
with the leaf designs on the 'charger' and the table runner.
- A fun and functional table setting.
Do you fondue too?
I'd love to hear about how you do it!
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