I have been so excited to celebrate February’s National food holiday. Why? Because I am in LOVE with the theme. Have you ever had fondue? If you have, you know just how amazing it is. If you haven’t, you are missing out and NEED to try it ASAP. Goodness, I can’t even remember when my love of fondue was born. I would say shortly after I graduated high school was my first fondue experience (that’s better than saying 13 years ago…. yikes! I’m getting OLD!). I’ve even been to a restaurant dedicated to fondue where I’ve had the please of enjoying a three-course meal: cheese, broth, and dessert fondue. By far my favorite are the cheese and dessert fondues.
Today’s recipes are incredibly delicious. I’m actually surprised that I liked the Raspberry as much as I did, because I’m not generally a raspberry fan because of the seeds (yes, I do like strawberries). Since my Blendtec pulverized the raspberry puree, out of the generous helpings I enjoyed I only found one seed! Can you believe that? It was heavenly. I suppose you haven’t come to hear me yammer on, so without further adieu I present to you this month’s Tried and Tasty Mouth Watering Fondue Video! Don’t forget: I love comments! Let me know what you think, and read on for the recipes!
Raspberry Swirl Fondue
This wonderful Raspberry Swirl Fondue pairs a delicious creamy cheese with sweet raspberries for an out of this world combination. You'll love the sweet surprise!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Havarti cheese
- 1 ½ c. fresh Driscoll's raspberries
- 4 tsp. lime juice
- 4 tsp. sugar
- ¾ c. dry white wine divided (I used cooking wine)
- 2 tsp. lemon juice
- 4 tsp. cornstarch
- 5 tsp. water
Instructions
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Dice the Havarti cheese in to medium-sized cubes.
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Wash and drain the raspberries.
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Process the berries, lime juice, and sugar in a blender or food processor until smooth.
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Warm ½ c. of the wine in a medium saucepan on medium-low heat. Don’t allow the wine to boil. Keep the remaining ¼ c. of wine warming in a separate saucepan.
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When the wine is warm, stir in the lemon juice. Add the cheese, a handful at a time. Stir the cheese. Wait until the cheese is completely melted before adding more. Don’t allow the fondue mixture to boil.
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When the cheese is melted, stir in the raspberry puree and heat throughout.
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Dissolve the cornstarch in the water and add to the cheese, stirring. Turn up the heat until it is just bubbling and starting to thicken. Add the remaining ¼ c. of wine if necessary.
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Transfer to a fondue pot and set on the burner. Serve with the baguette cubes for dipping. Enjoy!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Dipper ideas:
1 baguette, cut in to cubes, apples, seedless grapes, pear slices
[My 2 Cents]
Here are a few tips that will help when it comes to what cheese to select and what to do to prep it for your fondue:
- The best type of cheese for fondue is a hard cheese that has been aged for several months. Hard cheeses have a sharp flavor, are easy to dice or shred, and melt easily due to their high fat content. The two standard Swiss fondue cheeses are Gruyere and Emmenthal.
- The harder the cheese, the more finely it needs to be cut. Be sure to finely dice hard cheeses like Gruyere and Emmenthal. Semisoft cheeses like Havarti can be diced less finely or cubed, while soft cheeses will crumble easily. Fondue cheese can also be coarsely grated or shredded. Be careful not to grate too thinly or the cheese will form clumps in the fondue. Be sure to use the coarse edge of a cheese grater.
- Lastly, chilled cheese is easier to cut, and proper cutting speeds up melting time!
Dessert fondue is so fun because of all the different ways you can have it. I’ve got a few of my favorite recipes posted that I’ve used for years including my Flaming Turtle Fondue, S’Mores Fondue, Light & Dark Fondue, and Cheesecake Fondue. Last year I created a really fun recipe that everyone has loved: Caramel Apple Fondue. It’s pretty much amazing. It’s so fun to experiment with different flavor combinations. So far I haven’t come across any that have let me down! However, after discovering this Chocolate Bar Fondue using the Toblerone bars I think there may be a new favorite in town!
Chocolate Bar Fondue
Ingredients
- 2 Toblerone Bars or your favorite chocolate bar
- ½ c. whipping cream
Instructions
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Unwrap chocolate bar and cut into several pieces.
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Combine a few pieces of the chocolate with whipping cream in a metal bowl and place on top of a saucepan half-filled with simmering water. Stir frequently on low heat, making sure the mixture doesn’t come to a boil.
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Continue adding more chocolate, a few pieces at a time, until all the chocolate is melted. Transfer the mixture to the fondue pot and set on the burner. Keep the fondue warm on low heat.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Refrigerate sliced fruit until the fondue is ready to serve. The chocolate cools down when it meets the chilled fruit, making it harden slightly.
[My 2 Cents]
Here are a few more tips to make sure you have a great fondue experience:
- Make sure you wash the strawberries before removing the stems. Removing the stems first causes the strawberries to fill with water, which can react with the chocolate during dipping.
- To prevent cut fruit such as apples and pears from discoloring, brush lightly with lemon juice before placing in the refrigerator. If you find the taste of lemon too strong, use a mixture of half lemon juice and half water instead.
The list of dipper ideas is nearly endless, but if you want a ‘few’ ideas here’s a great place to start:
- Angel Food Cake
- Banana (frozen or fresh)
- Mandarin Oranges
- Pears
- Raspberries
- Melons
- Mango/Papaya
- Fresh Coconut Chunks
- Graham Crackers
- Rice Crispy Treats
- Popcorn Balls
- Biscotti
- Cookies
- Gingerbread Cookies
- Frozen Cheesecake Bites
- Bacon
- Pretzels
- Marshmallows
- Cheesecake Squares
- Animal Crackers
- Vienna Fingers
- Mini Cream Puffs – Frozen
- Mini Chocolate Eclairs – Frozen
- Candies
- Waffles
- Donuts/Holes
- Pastries
- Waffle Cone Chips
- Brownie Bites
- Toffee
- Cookie Dough Balls
- Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Nut Clusters
- Granola Bars
- Peanut Butter Balls
- Peanut Brittle
- Bonbons
Linking up with: Mandy’s Recipe Box, Chef In Training , SNAP Creativity
I remember my Mom having fondue parties. I loved them. Thanks for linking to the This is How We Roll Link Party. See you on Thursday!
Yvonne
I LOVE fondue!!! Thanks for hosting a great party!
I have never had fondue, but this definitely looks worth trying! Thanks for sharing at Wordless Wednesday last week. We hope to see you again this week!
Yvonne
Oh it’s worth trying FOR SURE!! Thanks for hosting a fun party!
Laura Ewton
Our family has only done the oil based fondu with steak, shrimp and veggies every Christmas Eve. A great time to slow down and enjoy the company of our family. We love it and enjoy it so much it has now become our family tradition. I need to get another pot or two so we can do a dessert fondu along with it. Since I have only used the electric pot, I am curious which kind of pots you like?
Yvonne
I’ve had that once when I went to the Melting Pot.. it seemed to take forever, but maybe that’s because there were four of us using the same pot? It wasn’t my favorite but I still thought it was ok (the oil based). What a fun tradition! Definitely an easy meal to take slow. I have the one pot that you use a stern flame (?) with and the other ceramic pot that I use a tea light with. I actually like all three, but I’d really like an electric one because it’s much easier to control the temperature for the cheese. For the dessert, the ceramic works great!
I love fondue but I’ve never had raspberry cheese fondue. Can’t wait to try it! I love your videos!
Yvonne
I hadn’t either but it sounded like something I needed in my life and it totally worked out! Thanks for watching Leanne :)
I love your videos! You are just so cute in the videos and I am glad that you are showing everyone your personality through them! I will definitely be trying these fondue recipes. We LOVE fondue at our house.
Yvonne
Jonie you are such a sweetheart! Thanks for watching I absolutely love making them and look forward to so much more. We should get together for a fondue party with Jess – wouldn’t that be fun?!
I’ve always been a little intimidated by fondue. But you sure make it less scary! Love this video!
Yvonne
It’s not bad at all, I love making it! Thanks for watching Alli!
we are fondue people in our house I definitely pinned this to have with our next feast!
Yvonne
Woohoo! You will love it!
Ohhh this sounds amazing!! Thanks for sharing!!
Yvonne
Right!? It’s as yummy as it sounds! Trust me!
Lisa
Oh, thank you! I have always wanted to try my own fondue but I’ve been afraid. This helps so much.
Yvonne
You’re welcome! It’s not scary at all!
I love these videos! You look amazing and I love seeing your sparkling personality shine!
Yvonne
Thanks Aimee, you are so sweet. I LOVE making the videos. SO fun! I like to think that I’m just in the kitchen chatting with a good friend :)
I love the new look! I love fondue but my husband doesn’t, maybe it is time for a girls party?
Yvonne
Thanks Debra! Girls party for sure – you gotta get you some fondue. That’s how I feel about sushi.. the hubs doesn’t like it and I love it!
I might need to have a fondue party this week. That dessert one looks amazing! Shared!
Yvonne
That would be so fun! Perfect for Valentine’s… or really, any time! Thank you for sharing – you are so sweet!
Cute video! I have only ever made chocolate fondue but I love it! Thanks for sharing the fun cheese fondue recipe. It looks so good!
Find me here:
Fresh & Happy
http://www.freshandhappy.com
~Laura Muir
Yvonne
Thank you so much! Chocolate is a great place to start, and even if you wanted to try the cheese but want something super simple, there are pre-packaged cheese mixes that make it so easy! Thanks for stopping by!
Okay…confession: I have never had fondue! But these both look delicious and I love your videos! And your recipe cards!
Yvonne
Really?! We need o change that – it is so delicious! You would love it! Thanks too – I love those recipe cards too!
Emily
Looks so delicious!
Yvonne
It is SO delicious! Definitely worth making for sure – both of them!