Fondue!

I was invited to a friend's house for dinner last night.  We decided to do something different and venture into the realm of fondue for our meal.  Fondue is one food trend that I don't have much experience with.  I'm not sure why...who wouldn't like assorted fruit, bread, pretzels, etc dipped in hot cheese or chocolate?  We scoured pinterest looking for the perfect recipe - one for cheese and one for chocolate.  Turns out every single thing we found sounded amazing and fun, but we narrowed it down to these recipes:

Gruyère and Cider Fondue (http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/gruy-re-and-cider-fondue)

• Ingredients

  Servings: 4 to 6
•  
• 8 ounces kielbasa sausage, cut on diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 4 cups coarsely grated Gruyère cheese (about 1 pound)
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 cup hard apple cider*
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Calvados, applejack brandy, or poire Williams (clear pear brandy)
• 1 Granny Smith apples, cored, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 1 baguette, cut into 3/4-inch cubes 

For the Chocolate Fondue http://www.marthastewart.com/354910/toasted-marshmallow-charred-bread-and-banana-sticks-chocolate-fondue?xsc=soc_pin_2013_12_13_Dessert_Christmas_D&crlt.pid=camp.8CeDt7fQXADi

 

Ingredients

• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons bourbon (optional)

For the Skewers

• 2 rolls Skillet Bread, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 4 ripe but firm bananas, cut into 1 1/2-inch-thick pieces
• 1 bag (10 ounces) marshmallows 

Both recipes were amazing.  I think fondue is supposed to be super easy - just melt stuff in a pot right?  The chocolate one gave us a little headache but the second batch worked out well.  Apparently it's important to heat the cream to a boil, take it off the heat, add the chocolate, let it all stand for three to five minutes, and then whip it up.  It was kind of fun that both of the recipes called for a little alcohol - added a nice smoky/aged flavor to the cheese and chocolate.  I don't have an actual fondue pot, but I do have a very small crock pot that I think will work just perfectly.  What a fun thing to do with guests!