Ideas For The Perfect Fondue Date Night at Home

Have you considered doing a fondue date night at home but thought it was too complicated?

Has a night out on the town at one of those fondue places been on your bucket list? It was on ours for a long time. After a couple of expensive visits to The Melting Pot, we knew we really enjoyed it and wanted to make it a part of our date nights.

We knew that although the Melting Pot is very romantic and can be an intimate experience, not everyone has the means to go on such elaborate dates very often. We also knew that it was something we could do much more often if we did it in the privacy of our own home.

We love trying new and different things. A fondue date night had been on our to-do list ever since we went to Hot Rocks in Wisconsin Dells. Were going to give you some great ideas to put together your own romantic fondue date night at home, along with the recipes we used for our own date night.

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What is Fondue?

What is fondue? Fondue comes from the French term “to melt.” Cheese fondue seems to be the most popular, but there are many kinds of fondue: cheese, meat, and even chocolate desserts.

Creating a romantic fondue date

With just a few extra items and some planning, we found it was very easy to host a fondue date night at home. The added bonus was the fact that we got to plan it together, do the prep work, and have a romantic evening together enjoying our fondue.

The only extra item we had to purchase to make our evening authentic was a fondue set. There are so many fun sets available and in almost every price range. Although we just bought one fondue set and cleaned it out in between. We are now going to get some really cute fondue mugs for chocolate.

1 Do your Planning

First decide how many courses you are going to do. If this is your first time tackling fondue you may want to start with simple doing one course of cheese or chocolate and work your way up to more.

Go online and find several versions of copycat recipes and used them to come up with your own variation of fondue. We have included our versions below.

We choose to do all three courses. Beer cheese for starters, Coq Au Vin for the main course, and a Flaiming Chocolate Turtle with Rum to end our evening.

Next put together your shopping list, grab your keys and head out the door. Consider this a part of your date, Make it fun, grab some extras if you like.You can have a blast in the grocery store.

2 Do All The Prep Work

Together unpack your supplies and start prepping for the evening. Make being in the kitchen together fun. You will need to cube your bread, cut up your veggies and meat. You may even have to test some of the chocolate.

3 Set The Mood For The Evening

Open a bottle of wine, set the table, light some candles and get dressed for the rest of your date night. Pile the couch with pillows, a blanket and pick out a movie for after supper.

Cheddar Cheese Fondue ~ Much Like Melting Pot

Cheddar Cheese Fondue Recipe

Our first course started with a cheddar cheese beer fondue. Once our cheese was melted and heated through we did divide our into individual bowls so that the broth could start heating for our main course. Not something I would recommend, it cooled off to quickly. again this would be where the fondue mugs would come in handy if you are doing more than one course.

Ingredients
8 ounces of grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
4 ounces of grated Swiss Cheese
1/2 cup Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer
2 Tablespoons chopped garlic
1 Tablespoon Pabst Worcestershire Sauce
3 Tablespoons Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons dry powder Mustard
Black Pepper to taste
Dash of cayenne pepper

What to dip in cheese fondue

Bread with a nice firm crust
Soft Pretzels
Raw baby carrots
Apples

Perparethe cheese by grating the cheese. Then, coat the cheese with flour. The flour keeps the cheese from sinking to the bottom and helps thicken the fondue.

Place the beer, garlic, dry mustard, and Worcestershire in your fondue pan and combine well. (You could also use a small crock pot for this )

Add 1/3 of the cheese and stir well when the beer mixture is warm. After the mixture is well mixed and melted, add the remaining cheese and stir until combined.

Enjoy your cheese fondue with crusty french bread cubes, apple slices, or soft pretzels. Use your imagination to come up with your favorite combinations.

Coq Au Vin Broth Fondue

I really enjoyed cooking int he coq Au Vin Broth. As a child I remember my parents having fondue but it was always deep fried in oil. We added small baby potatoes, and mushrooms to the broth to cook ahead of time. It was a nice addition to our steak, shrimp, chicken and lobster.

Coq Au Vin Broth Fondue Recipe

Ingredients
4 cups vegetable broth
3/4 cup Red Merlot from Door Peninsula Wine
check out our visit to Door County Winery
1/2 cup diced mushrooms
1/8 cup minced onion
1 Tablespoon minced garlic

Things to fondue in the broth

Cubed chicken
beef
shrimp
lobster
baby potatoes
white mushrooms
ravioli

Heat the vegetable stock, wine, onion, mushrooms, and garlic in a saucepan over medium heat, then lit it simmer for 10 minutes. Added about 6 tiny baby red potatoes to the simmering stock and let it simmer while preparing the meat.

Once the meats are prepared and your broth has simmered light the Sterno fuel or plug in your fondue pot. Transfer the stock from the saucepan to the fondue pot and add white mushrooms. Let this cook while you enjoy your cheese fondue.

When its time to enjoy your mail course, place your meat on your fondue fork, one piece at a time. The shrimp cooks quite quickly, and the chicken and beef take a little longer to cook. If using ravioli, float them in the fondue pot. The potatoes, mushrooms, and ravioli can just be fished out when tender.

Use caution to not cross contaminate your raw meats with your cooked food. You should have a separate plate for each.

Serve with a variety of dipping sauces.

Chocolate Turtle Fondue Recipe

OMG this is delicious!! We have enjoyed this on several occasions.

Chocolate Turtle Fondue

Ingredients
A 12-ounce bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup caramel syrup (The kind used on ice cream)
1 Kwik Trip salted caramel candy bar
2 Tablespoons Rum
4 Tablespoons Heavy cream
2 Tablespoons chopped pecans

What to dip in chocolate fondue

Strawberries (whole or halved)
Pound Cake (cubed)
Rice Krispie Treats (cubed)
Cherries
Brownies (cubed)
Frozen cheesecake (cubed)
Bananas

Mix the chocolate chips, candy bar, and heavy cream—microwave 20 seconds at a time, stirring every 20 seconds. When the chocolate is melted and smooth, transfer it to the fondue pot double boiler part on low. (The flame should not be directly on the bottom of the pot. The chocolate will burn)

When you are ready for dessert, stir, creating a well in the center. Add caramel and then the rum to the well (do not stir). Ignite using a long lighter.

Allow the flame to burn out, sprinkle in the pecans and stir.

Enjoy!

Following dinner retreat to the living room with wine and cuddled in each other’s arms as you watched a sappy movie. Romance can be anywhere, and any time, it’s being with that special person that makes it right.

The Wrap-Up ~ Fondue Date Night At Home

Is a fondue date night at home worth the hassle? Definatelly! Not only is it cost effective, but the date consisted of so much more than just going to a restaurant. The planning, the shopping and prep work helps you both get to know each other, and working together helps build your companionship.

This is a opportunity for you to both get a little creative in the kitchen.

Whether you are planning your first date night or have been dating for years, we promise you will love Fondue Date Night as much as we did.