FONDUE

This is going to be a long post because there is so much you can do to fondue! We don’t have a million fondue pots, so we just used one actual fondue pot and little crock-pots for the rest. One more little added note… Most fondue recipes call for alcohol or beer of some sort.. this recipe is completely alcohol FREE Yum! This fondue is so good. You are going to love it!
Alrighty.. let’s get to the fondue!

For the OIL:
Ok if you are using a fondue pot for the oil. Read the directions for your specific pot. Some say to heat the oil over the stove in the actual fondue pot (if it is a heavy-duty stainless steel one), others say to heat the oil in a saucepot first and then to CAREFULLY transfer it to the fondue pot. Either way. Once the oil is ready (375-degrees or hot enough that when you drop a bread cube into it, it turns golden brown in 30 seconds) and in the fondue pot, put it over the fondue heat source (ours was a candle-type thing) to KEEP it hot and it is ready to go!

Here is a basic time-table of how long everything needs to cook for… it varies greatly depending on how thick your meat is (we did like 1/2″-3/4″ cubes for all the meat). So check it before eating to make sure it is cooked through and your time estimations are right:

Chicken — 2 min
Beef/Steak — 45 sec.-1 min
Sausage — 1 minOnce the meat is all cooked through.. dip into the CHEESE (see below)

For the CHEESE:

1 1/2 c. beef broth
1/2 c. milk
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. ground, dry mustard
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 Tbsp. flour
6 c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (the higher-quality the cheddar, the better the fondue will be!)

In a saucepan over LOW heat, combine beef broth, milk, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, garlic and flour. When it is ALMOST to a boil (don’t let it boil!) gradually stir in the cheese doing a figure-8 motion. Add beef broth to thin if needed. When all the cheese has melted, transfer to a crock pot or fondue pot. (Easy huh?!)

Here are some ideas of what to dip:

Bread:
If you are doing veggies, I would suggest lightly steaming them so they are JUST crisp-tender.

Broccoli:
Brussel Sprouts:
Sausage:
Steak:
Chicken:
Now for the CHOCOLATE fondue (which I will do in a separate post…)