It’s become a family tradition, this will be our third year in a row celebrating Valentine’s Day in the “cheesiest” way possible… with a fondue dinner party at home!!! When my youngest daughter was three years old she loved the Valentine’s decorations around the house, and I felt guilty leaving her home with a babysitter on that day to go have dinner with my husband. So we decided to make Valentine’s Day a family event instead, and the fondue idea is so fun and kid friendly that she absolutely loved it. The following year she asked me if we were having a “fonfoo” party for Valentine’s Day, and that’s when it stuck! Now both my girls look forward to this special dinner every year.
Fondue Recipe:
There are so many fondue recipes to choose from, but I have taken the best parts of some of my favorite from over the years and have created my own recipe. It features Gruyere and Raclette cheeses which are wonderful melting cheeses. Both cheeses have Swiss origins, the Gruyere being sweet but slightly salty. I chose a 60+ day Cave-aged Gruyere, recommended by the Cheese Specialist in my grocery store. He also recommended a pairing of the Gruyere with Swiss Raclette and the guy knows what he’s talking about. This combination is a success!
Gruyere & Raclette Fondue
Equipment
- Fondue Pot
- Cheese Grater
Materials
- 1 cup Emmi Aged Gruyere – Shredded (60+ days)
- 1 cup Emmi Swiss Raclette – Shredded
- 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 tbsp Minced Shallots
- 1 tbsp Minced Garlic in Olive Oil Glaser Organic Farms *WholeFoods
- 1 cup Vegetable Broth – Low Sodium
- 1 tsp Cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp Grated nutmeg
Instructions
- Shred your Gruyere and Racelette cheese blocks, there should be about 1 cup of each cheese. Then coat the shredded cheeses with the tsp of cornstarch.
- In a large fondue pot, add 1 tbsp of EVOO and sauté the minced shallots.
- Add the minced garlic in olive oil, if you do not have it as an all-in-one mixture, then simply add 2 minced garlic heads and sauté briefly with the shallots.
- Add 1 cup of vegetable broth to the minced shallots and garlic mixture and bring the broth to a simmer.
- Add your cheese and cornstarch mixture to the vegetable broth, one cup at time, stirring constantly until the cheese starts to melt.
- Lastly, finely grate some fresh nutmeg, about 1/2 tsp, or to taste. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Prepare your dipping sides (this can be done beforehand). Options include:Gnocchi, Tortellini, Mushrooms, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Chicken/Ham Cubes, Baguette cubes, Carrot sticks, Apple slices, or Pretzels.
Dipping Sides for Fondue:
Our dipping sides for the fondue are dinner friendly, so if you’re looking to make a main course out of this recipe, try some pastas such as gnocchi or tortellini which are easy to dip. Also try any protein cut in cubes that pairs well with cheese!
- Cheese Tortellini, or Gnocchi (Sweet Potato tastes great with this cheese blend).
- Ravioli
- Grilled Chicken or Ham cubes as a protein.
- Grilled Chicken cubes wrapped in ham = Chicken Cordon Blue!
- Shrimp (Boiled or steamed)
- Potato Wedges or Small Potato
- Baguette cubes
- Broccoli or Cauliflower Heads
- Baby Carrots (raw or steamed)
- Apple slices
- Asparagus stalks
- Sliced Sausage
- Sauteed Portobello Mushrooms (I sauté these in EVOO with thinly sliced red onions and pinch of salt).
Chocolate Fondue Dessert!
After dinner, I rinse the fondue pot and simply melt a bag of milk chocolate chips, and add heavy whipping cream as a base, just enough to help the chocolate melt. You can also substitute the heavy cream with regular milk, evaporated milk, or coconut milk. Here are some of our favorite dipping sides:
- Biscotti
- Strawberries
- Rice Krispie Treats
- Marshmallows
- Pretzels
- Pineapples
- Brownie cubes
- Chocolate Chip cookies
- Angel Food Cake cubes
- Cheesecake cubes
Hope you enjoyed this Valentine’s Day Fondue dinner inspiration!! If you have any dipping side suggestions, leave a comment, we love to get new ideas for our next fondue fête !!
