DigsMagazine.com | host: ...AND MELT WITH YOU a fondue party page3

be the perfect host/ess

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02.17.2005

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...and melt with you
how to have a fondue party by Stephanie Cloutier | 1 2 3 4
continued from page 2

the communal feeling
Since the fondue is the main attraction, try not to overwhelm your guests with too many appetizers. Have a few sides available to be served with fondue, like a salad or a platter of various meats and vegetables that can serve double-duty as appetizers and dippers.

You can still get your guests involved with your party by suggesting that they bring a food item they would like to eat with the fondue. Encourage them to please, look past the bread. While cubed French bread is classic, the dipper possibilities are almost endless. Try sweet red, yellow or green peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, pieces of apples, pineapple, mandarin slices, bread sticks, sausage slices, carrot and celery sticks, asparagus, artichokes, shrimp, and even other cheeses like brie. The last sounds extremely decadent -- and it is!

If you're making a beef fondue, ask your guests to bring a sauce they would like to dip their cooked meat into, or that can be used as a dipping sauce for your appetizers. Traditionally, horseradish sauces are served but again, encourage folks to get a little creative. As for the chocolate fondue, guests could bring dried and fresh fruits for dipping, even pieces of pound cake and biscotti.

Get the recipes...

Classic cheese fondue • Beef fondue with horseradish cream and spicy cocktail dipping sauces • Chocolate fondue

When organizing your party, think about the number of guests you would like to invite. One pot generously feeds six people, and two about twelve people. If you're serving two pots, the easiest thing to do is to choose which type of fondue you want and stick to it. Serve only two different types of cheese fondues, or serve two different types of chocolate fondues. You can serve one of each type, but with more ingredients comes more work for you as the host. If you want to be able to really relax and enjoy your party, keep it simple.

don't stop: still more this way!

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