Fondue Friday

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Photo cred: Dan Collery

Well, you’ve heard of Pizza Monday…but how about Fondue Friday?  Another fun dinner in my childhood, in my kid’s childhood and even now with friends, is fondue.  My friend Maggie dubbed it “Fondue Friday’s” when she frequently had it for dinner at the end of the week with her family.  I’ve done cheese and chocolate, which are FABULOUS…but I do an oil fondue with all the fixin’s!!  Here’s what you’ll need…
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  • electric fondue pot (electric allows you to control the temp) and skewers (they usually come with the fondue pot
  • oil (I use vegetable, but peanut is recommended for it’s higher smoking point)
  • raw steak, cut in cubes
  • raw chicken, cut in cubes (I use boneless, skinless chicken breast)
  • raw shrimp (peeled)
  • lumpia (you can find it in the frozen food section at the store)
  • onions (just cut into rings)
  • broccoli florets
  • cauliflower florets
  • frozen french fries
    …and basically anything you want to fry!
  • tempura batter (just mix with a little water and put in a bowl)
  • ginger miso dressing

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IMAG0335One fondue pot is enough for about 5 people, but any more than that you want to have two pots going.  The cord for the fondue pots are pretty short, so it usually requires an extension cord to plug in…just make sure you tape it to the floor or put it out of the way of your diners…a hot oil spill would be EXTREMELY dangerous.  Also…I didn’t do this with my kids until they were a bit older and not squirmy at the table.

I use an oil cloth tablecloth because it looks pretty, but is easy to clean up, so there’s not worrying about your table.  I’ve also used real tablecloths and just covered them with clear plastic tablecloths too.  I put each item in it’s own small disposable bowl so clean up is easy. There are platters that you can get with compartments if you want to get fancy.  One tempura bowl between two diners is best.  Here’s what it looks like set up.

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With a larger group use two pots & be careful with your extension cord set up (photo cred: Dan Collery)

Pour the oil in the pot, turn up the heat, wait at least five minutes and then we usually throw a lumpia in to see if it’s hot enough.  You’ll know…it sizzles…and be careful, it spits out at you too!  Okay, so it’s a little dangerous, but it’s OH, SO DELISH!…and fun too!  Items will come off skewers, people will be stabbing the pot for the ones that got away and there are usually some good laughs too!  The tempura batter is for whatever you want to coat before cooking and the ginger dressing is great for dipping after the meats are done. You can add a salad or some rice as a side dish, but that’s optional.

When you’re done turn off the heat, unplug it, cover it with tin foil and let it cool overnight.  If it’s summer it’s best to dine alfresco because it can really make your house smell like oil…but we do it in winter too.  Just light a few candles to take care of the odor…or maybe Fabreze works too?

Don’t pour the oil down your drain.  Using a strainer, pour it back into the bottle.  If it’s a large amount we’ve taken it to a recycling center, but if it’s not much, just cap and throw in in the garbage. (some cities recycle too)

Bon appetit!

You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!

5 Comments

  1. This was our childhood too…in the mountains around the fondue pot. We are clearly from the same generation…so glad it’s making a revival (my vote is chocolate too). Lot so fun on Fridays!

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