Welcome the New Year With Fondue

About author / Christine Gable

Culinary enthusiast; kids cuisine and slow cooking; magazine recipe developer; professional writer. Her simple recipes are great for family dinners.

Memories. They can pop up at the most unexpected times, like when we set eyes on an item from our long-lost past. And that’s exactly what happened this past summer when the kids and I ran across a cast iron enameled fondue pot set at a neighbor’s garage sale. Tucked into the faded, original cardboard box, all the pieces were there, just waiting for the right person to wander along. All we needed to do was track down some gel fuel and a recipe. But what really compelled me to haul that fondue set home and dish out two hundred cents for it?

Fun. Friends. Memories. Yes, from somewhere deep in my brain’s recesses—some long-lost–recently-stimulated neurons flittered memories of gathering around a simmering pot with a slew of friends, sticks-in-hands, dipping, munching, enjoying.

What is it about gathering around a steaming pot with skewered bites of French bread, vegetables or sweet dessert treats? For me, it’s that gathering together at mealtime that helps provide a vital daily connection for friends and family. No matter the meal—for appetizer, main course or dessert—it’s that need for daily, necessary sustenance that draws us together. Now, we certainly don’t pull that fondue pot out very often—and we usually just serve ourselves buffet-style from the stove and counter, but we do gather together to eat.

But pull out the fondue pot and it definitely steps it up a notch. And it’s actually rather ceremonial to have to fill the hopper with gel fuel (yes, I found some from an online cooking supply house), set up the pot and gather the sticks, everyone choosing a color. Of course, this whole scenario gets even better when mom or dad has had the chance to plan what will actually be the fondue dipping sauce and implements. But don’t do what I did the first time: rely upon a previously untested recipe.

While I can usually spot a recipe that will work and taste good 95 percent of the time, that other 5 percent was active on the first day that we decided to use our new fondue pot. I had requested several books from the library, perused them at length, and picked what seemed to be a fairly simple cheese fondue recipe to make. Suffice it to say that what I ended up with was not anywhere near what a creamy, smooth fondue dip should look like—and it didn’t look like our first fondue night was going to be too much fun for mom. And if I didn’t find a better recipe—and quick—it wouldn’t be too tasty either.

That’s when I threw the cookbooks aside and relied upon my own hands-on kitchen experience. And luckily I had some salsa and Velveeta on the shelf—seemed like that was a combo that would make an easy and delicious fondue dip. Forget the wine and special cheeses that I had just spent too much time (and money!) on … it was back to good ol’ American processed cheese product.

I know some of you probably bypass the Velveeta, and some of you may love it—and I’m right in the middle. I buy it once-in-a-while, use it sporadically—and know that it can turn a regular pot of boiled macaroni into an awesome pot of mac and cheese in minutes. Like all the other spices, seasonings and accoutrements in the kitchen, it has its place.

So Velveeta it was—with some salsa for some zing. And guess what: we had that fondue pot filled with a creamy delicious mixture in less time than it took me to read the other fondue recipe. Gotta love that.

Now we’re set to use our fondue pot to welcome the New Year too—it makes an eye-catching centerpiece with all sorts of veggies, bread cubes and chips scattered around it. Just make an extra large batch of this fondue, keep it as refill backup, and you’ll be all set to welcome the new year with delicious dipping.

That’s definitely what we’ll be doing as we watch the ball drop. Happy New Year!

Serves/Makes: 1.5 cups

• 1 pound Velveeta cheese, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup salsa