Fondue

[cjsmith]

So. If I did have a fondue party, and I'm not for a minute saying that I'd want to do such a decadent thing, but if I did, how big a place would I need?

Sort-of-survey:
Would you be likely to attend a fondue party at CJ's if you were free that day?
Do you know how to make cheese fondue?
If so, what's yours like?
Do you know how to make chocolate fondue?
If so, can you teach me? :-)
Is sticking meat in a pot of something hot also "fondue"?
Do you own a fondue pot?
If so, can you tell me where to get a good one?

It won't happen for a while at the very least. First I'd have to clean the house...

Comments

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

Would you be likely to attend a fondue party at CJ's if you were free that day?

Yes. (And a little voice from the other room also says "yes," if he is invited.

Do you know how to make cheese fondue?

I know ementhaler and gruyere make good fondue. I know it's trickier to make cheese fondue than chocolate fondue. I assume there are recipes online.

Do you know how to make chocolate fondue?

I know only that it's less tricky than cheese fondue.

Is sticking meat in a pot of something hot also "fondue"?

Technically, fondue is melted stuff (fondue means "melted" in French) but heck, meat stuck in stuff is yummy, so it's acceptable.

Do you own a fondue pot? If so, can you tell me where to get a good one?

I bet Kathy (http://www.livejournal.com/users/klwalton) does, and you two do need to meet each other.

[klwalton.livejournal.com]

Would you be likely to attend a fondue party at CJ's if you were free that day?

Yes. (And a little voice from the other room also says "yes," if he is invited.

If it involves food, I think that little voice will seldom say "no" :):).

Do you own a fondue pot? If so, can you tell me where to get a good one?

I bet Kathy does, and you two do need to meet each other.

Strangely enough, I do not own a fondue pot. I did get one as a wedding gift, but that was 23 years and 3 moves ago. It has long since disappeared.
But I will be happy to do some research, see what's out there. I would think the primary thing to look for is something that is of enough quality not to form hot spots and thus scorch the cheese or chocolate.

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

I was actually thinking, "I bet Kathy knows where to find one."

:)

[klwalton.livejournal.com]

Okay, here we go:

Williams-Sonoma, one of my favourite places. They have received much of my disposable income over the years. Their prices reflect the quality of the merchandise, however. :) Six fondue-related items (http://www.williams-sonoma.com//srch/name.cfm?ftype=name&imgs=on&name=fondue)

Some less expensive sets can be found at Cooking.com.
Two pages of fondue-related items (http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodli.asp?Keywords=fondue&Home=prod&Advanced=spine)

Ooooh!! Ekitchen.com. Check this out.
An abundance of fondue pots! (http://www.ekitchendepot.com/cfondue.html)

That's it so far, but will give you something to work with - I'm on the phone with Mary right now and can't type and talk at the same time. I used to be able to, but seem to have lost the ability. It's hell to be old! :)

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Would you be likely to attend a fondue party at CJ's if you were free that day?
No, because CJ doesn't know me. And because the party is not likely to be in the greater Baltimore-Washington area. Alas.

Do you know how to make cheese fondue?
Yes.

If so, what's yours like?
Cheddar, a bit each of flour and dry mustard powder, and beer. I highly recommend it.

Do you know how to make chocolate fondue?
Yes.

If so, can you teach me? :-)
Piece of cake (you should excuse the expression). One bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips. One cup of heavy cream. 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. You can also add a skosh of brandy, but I don't usually.

Is sticking meat in a pot of something hot also "fondue"?
Yes. My mother used to serve meat fondues back in the seventies and early eighties. She'd just heat up chicken broth in the fondue pot. We cooked meat on forks, and also just threw in whole handfuls of raw spinach, later fishing it out with our forks.

Do you own a fondue pot?
Yes, but it's the electric kind, and the temperature setting doesn't have enough of a wide range to suit me. It has several uselessly hot settings (like, 400 degrees), and doesn't go cool enough. I prefer the kind of pot that sits over sterno.

[joedecker.livejournal.com]

Would you be likely to attend a fondue party at CJ's if you were free that day?

Yes.

Do you know how to make cheese fondue?
If so, what's yours like?
Do you know how to make chocolate fondue?
If so, can you teach me? :-)

No.

Is sticking meat in a pot of something hot also "fondue"?

Yes.

Do you own a fondue pot?
If so, can you tell me where to get a good one?

No. (Sorry!)

[firecat]

Look, Grommit! Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeese!

The closest I have come to fondue is dining at La Fondue in Los Gatos, where they do think that sticking meat in a pot of something hot is a fondue.