DIY Network

Fondue Party: Food Preparation From "Weekend Entertaining" episode WKE-208

This party is rated 2 on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the most difficult, and is geared toward the skills of a frequent entertainer.

Hourly Breakdown

Total Prep Time -- 13 hours
Food Preparation -- 5 hours

Beef Broth Bouillon

Beef Broth Bouillon

Ingredients:

3 cups beef consomme
6 cups beef broth
3 cups French onion soup with the onions strained out
Black pepper to taste
Filet Mignon

Preparation:

Mix consomme, broth, and strained soup in pot on stove. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Add a pepper to taste and continue to simmer for about 15 minutes.

Note: Consomme is a clarified broth. To clarify something, it means to take the fat out.

Trim the excess fat from the Filet Mignon beef and cut the beef lengthwise into pieces about 1/8-inch thick. Boil the beef in bouillon for 5 minutes to cook completely.

Chef Note: Cutting the beef while it is frozen will keep it from shredding while it is being sliced.

Expert Tip: You need different cutting boards for cutting different things. For meat, you need a plastic cutting board because they are easier to disinfect. For vegetables, it is okay to use wood cutting boards.

Weave the sliced beef onto skewers.

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Welsh Rarebit Sauce for Meat

Welsh Rarebit Sauce for Beef

Ingredients:

3 lbs. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
4 Tbs. cornstarch
1 Tbs. sugar
2 Tbs. dry mustard
3 Tbs. butter
3 cups flat Pale Ale

Preparation:

Combine ale and butter in pot on stove. Season and dredge the cheese with the cornstarch, sugar, and dry mustard. When ale and butter come to a boil, add cheese mixture to it two handfuls at a time. Stir constantly, and make sure each handful is completely melted and blended before adding any more cheese. Make this as close as possible to party time.

Note: You can season this with cayenne pepper or Worcestershire sauce.

Seafood Dipping Sauce

Seafood Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

4 Tbs. butter
4 shallots, minced
4 Tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preparation:

Heat butter in two-quart saucepan and bring to a simmer. While butter is melting, skim bubbles that appear on top of the liquid. Once butter if fully melted, remove it from the heat and let the butter cool. Pour butter through a fine strainer into a bowl, leaving water and any leftover solids in a saucepan. The clarified butter should be clear. Saute minced shallots until they are soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Squeeze lemons for juice and combine with clarified butter. Combine butter with shallots and stir.

Serve this with scallops and salmon. To prepare the scallops, lightly spray or brush baking sheet with olive oil. Spread the scallops in a single layer on baking sheet. Spray or brush tops of scallops with olive oil. Put under the broiler until about half done. Flip scallops and broil until done.

To prepare the salmon, lightly brush salmon steaks with olive oil and grill approximately three minutes on one side, flip, grill two more minutes. Once the steaks have cooled, cut them into bite-sized cubes.

Traditional Cheese Sauce

Traditional Cheese Fondue (Web Exclusive)

Ingredients:

2 cups Gruyere, shredded
1-1/2 cups Emmentaler, shredded
2-1/2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1 clove garlic, halved
1 cup dry white wine
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
Splash of Kirsch
Pinch of nutmeg

Preparation:

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the cheeses and toss with flour. Rub the inside of the fondue pot with the garlic halves. This imparts a hint of garlic without overpowering or adding texture. In a heavy pot, add the wine and heat over medium heat until hot, but not boiling. Stir in lemon juice and kirsch. Add a handful of cheese at a time to the wine mixture, stirring constantly and not adding more cheese until the previous has melted. Once it is bubbling gently and has the appearance of the light creamy sauce, season with a pinch of nutmeg. Transfer to fondue pot with medium heat.

Serve this with a variety of roasted vegetables and some crusty French bread slices. Some of the vegetables can be dipped by hand, and some can be skewered with your fondue fork. Use the bread slices to catch any cheese drips.

Caramel Fondue

Caramel Fondue (Web Exclusive)

Ingredients:

2 cans evaporated milk
12 oz. whipping cream
1-1/4 lb. caramels
3 tsp. vanilla
3 Tbs. brandy (optional)

Preparation:
Heat milk, cream, and caramels together over low heat, stirring occasionally. Simmer until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in flavorings.

Serve with strawberries, bananas, pound cake, and shortbread.

RESOURCES :

Tool, Equipment and Special Event Rental (HSS RentX)
HSS RentX
Denver, CO 80222
Website: www.hss.com/usa.shtml

Create for Less
Website: www.createforless.com

Fabric.com
Website: www.fabric.com

Quality Wholesale Florist
115 E. 4th Ave.
Knoxville, TN 37917
Phone: 865-546-4610

GUESTS :

Harry Schwartz
Culinary Expert
PO Box 1320
Yarmouth, ME 04096
Phone: 207-846-8881
E-mail: chefharry@chefharry.com
Website: www.chefharry.com

Diann Valentine
Event Producer
D.R. Valentine and Associates, Inc.
650 S. Raymond Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91105
Phone: 626-395-0346
Fax: 626-395-0649
Website: www.drvalentine.net