Entertaining

How to Host a Fondue Party

  • Entertaining
  • ByDianne O'Connor
  • December 2024

Lately, I’ve noticed a trend of people who want to host dinner parties at home but are unsure of how to manage cooking for a group of six or eight and to remain relaxed during the evening. The most enjoyable gatherings that I’ve hosted for my friends and family have a common thread. The most successful and most memorable ones involve casual social interactions with unhurried cooking and group participation. Whether it is passing oyster shucking tools (and safety gloves!) to guests in the summer for a shucking and slurping supper or a fall fire pit backyard ‘tailgate’ roasting hot dogs over the fire before a Saturday college football game on TV, these relaxed cook-your-own meal style get togethers create an opportunity to slow down and connect with one another. Although lacking in perfection and some inevitable food on the floor moments, these social eating opportunities create lasting memories.

Fondue as a dinner concept started in the 19th century in the Swiss and French regions of the Alps when people - out of necessity - needed to find uses for aged cheeses and dry breads during the winter months. Fresh foods simply were unavailable. We add some altitude to our at home fondue meals by roasting a tenderloin of beef (prepared in advance), blanching cauliflower and broccoli, slicing green apples and pears, tossing cocktail tomatoes into the mix, and seeking out the crustiest loaves of artisanal bread we can find. Folklore suggests that anyone who loses their food in the cheese must kiss the person sitting next to them. A peck on the cheek is all that is required, unless you serve a February 14th romantic chocolate fondue for two (a whole other story). At our house, we all think my husband intentionally drops his chunks of food. While he loves fondue as much as everyone in our family, he loves most of all the kisses on his forehead from his children that result from his fumbling.

 

Eating fondue is both a social and a culinary tradition cherished during the cold winter months. Follow along to learn how to host the ultimate fondue party.

The Essential Tools

Hosting is always easier with the right tools. I have tried nearly every fondue pot and have finally settled on a commercial one made by Swiss Mar that is designed for use in restaurants and maintains an even heat so that guests can linger longer without worrying that the cheese will seize. Our family-sized Swiss designed commercial pot keeps cheese hot longer. In our busting-at-the-seams family, I need a pot for each end of the table—usually one pot for four people allows for comfortable reaching and fork dunking. For larger groups and longer tables, smaller Staub fondue pots are perfect for two-at-a-time dipping when set between guests. Our essential fondue tools include a collection of several fondue pot styles. Our cheese for two Staub 12 ounce stove-to-table cheese fondue pot minimizes clean up . The Staub Mini Fondue Set is a Valentine’s Day gift to remember. Alongside melted chocolate or caramel, these dishes make a sweet treat for a romantic night at home and are the perfect way to say, “I’m very fondue you.” 

The Best Fondue Cheeses

Choosing the right cheese for fondue matters. Our recipe is a mixture of smooth-textured, creamy cheeses consisting of equal amounts of gruyère, Emmenthal, and comté that combine into a rich and complex velvety textured fondue. A spoonful of kirsch adds a depth of flavor that makes it an authentic Swiss, cold weather recipe. Once all the cheeses are added to your pot, stir in a zigzag pattern so that the mixture does not form into a ball but, instead, becomes melted and creamy. 

Dunking Essentials

Spear your favorite fondue accompaniments—bread cubes, vegetables, fruit, or meat—and dunk your long forks into pots of simmering cheese, chocolate, or caramel. The long-handled fondue forks work best for sharing a pots of fondue and contribute a serious fun factor to fondue entertaining.

For the most impressive cheese fondue entertaining, choose a selection of dunking choices: bite-sized pieces of simply roasted filet mignon (may be prepared in advance and served room temperature), tiny blanched peewee potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, and asparagus, cocktail tomatoes, green pears, crisp apples, and – the star of the show – bread cubes. While kitchen creativity is encouraged, we contend that the most important and not-to-be-missed fondue accompaniment is a crusty loaf of artisanal bread. Buy a loaf from your favorite local bakery and leave it on the counter uncovered overnight. The slightly dry and hardened bread will not shrivel up when dunked into the hot cheese. 

Our collection of vintage, artisan crafted, and heritage brand small serving plates make entertaining a reflection of your entertaining style.

Add some altitude to your at-home fondue meals by roasting a tenderloin of beef (prepared in advance), blanching cauliflower and broccoli, slicing green apples and pears, tossing cocktail tomatoes into the mix, and seeking out the crustiest loaves of artisanal bread.

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WINE PAIRING

The Swiss, the founders of fondue, contend that cheese should never be eaten without wine. A wine pairing elevates any fondue dish for those who choose to imbibe. Ninety Plus Cellars privately labels the world’s best wines and delivers them nationwide at affordable prices for consumers. While a light red wine would pair nicely with this dish, a crisp, dry, fruity white wine is preferred to complement the rich flavor of the cheese. Serve a bottle of Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc for the ultimate fondue experience.

In the winter months, my five grown children and my hungry husband, Tim, all look forward to a Sunday supper après ski style. After all, who doesn’t love an artisanal loaf of bread and a pot of steaming, kirsch-infused cheese? When the children were young and coming in from a day of alpine adventures, the fondue would be ready and eaten in under ten minutes. These days, all hands help prepare the meal—someone cubes the bread, another grates the cheese, someone is assigned to zig zag the pot of cheese as it melts to prevent it from forming into a ball, and another keeps glasses filled with an Austrian Riesling or a light-bodied red wine. I always set the table. 

 

For me, the table is a gift that I give to every person sitting around it. Details matter. While fondue is fun food, I take seriously the impact of a beautiful, albeit casual, table carefully assembled to add to the ambiance of the evening. The ski linen napkins, neutral in color, are embellished with a pair of vintage skis--a nod to all the years we drove three hours on Friday nights after school with five kids in tow to a mountain that would provide a full day’s outdoor skiing for the youngsters while mom and dad relaxed fireside reading books and napping. I get out our pewter snowflake and ski and pole ornaments and use twine to tie the napkins, yet another nod to the winter snow-covered landscape expected après ski. The food is served on platters and in baskets, and passed at the table. Only small plates grace each place setting—food is really fork to mouth and rarely is more than a bite or two actually on the plate.  I forage in our backyard for evergreen boughs to bring a bit of nature inside and use small Simon Pearce glass evergreen trees to pop among the center tablescape garland. Always, always candlelight graces the table. I simply can’t resist the way it makes every person's face glow during the meal. My go to tea lights are Simon Pearce’s Snowball and Silver Lake styles. Made in America, these hand blown glass vessels are inspired by the wintery Vermont landscape and are another touchpoint in our family’s mountainside history.  

 

While we may be having fondue at home instead of mountainside this year, serving fondue never ceases to lure my family home and in from the cold.