February is National Fondue Month, February 5th is National Chocolate Fondue Day, November is National Fun with Fondue Month, and April 11th is National Cheese Fondue Day.

You’ve got multiple opportunities to celebrate with luscious fondue—as a family dinner, at a dinner party, or even on a party buffet.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF FONDUE

Originally a melted cheese dish, the concept evolved to cooking beef, chicken, chocolate or seafood in the fondue pot. February is National Fondue Month, so why not plan a fondue feast?

The melted cheese dish originated in the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel. The word fondue itself is the past participle of the French fondre, to melt down.

The fondue is served from a communal pot called a caquelon, using long forks to spear cubes of bread that are swirled in the melted cheese. The tradition dates to the 18th century; some say it was developed as a way to use slightly stale bread.

Each Swiss canton has its own variation on the recipe, which generally consists of at least two varieties of cheese, wine and a bit of flour or cornstarch to keep the melted cheese from separating.

 
Although it adds to the aesthetic, you don’t need a fondue pot (caquelon) to melt cheese or chocolate or to heat cooking oil. A heavy-bottomed saucepan or ideally, a double boiler, works fine.

But then, to keep the fondue heated after it has been served, you’ll need a hot plate for the table. If you don’t have one, you probably know someone who has one stashed away and will lend it.

[1] Classic cheese fondue (photo courtesy Artisanal Restaurant | NYC).

[2] What’s for dessert? Chocolate fondue. Here’s the recipe (photo courtesy Sugardaddy’s | St. Louis).

To help you decide where to begin: We recommend starting with a classic cheese fondue. Here’s the basic cheese fondue recipe plus 28 variations, from blue cheese and goat cheese variations to Nacho and Philly Cheesesteak fondue. Or consider:

 
For Valentine’s Day, how about chocolate fondue—your choice of dark, milk or white chocolate? Here’s an even richer Chocolate Fondue with Mascarpone recipe.

You can also spice things up with these Spicy Chocolate Fondue recipe variations.

[3] Surf & Turf fondue: Raw seafood and meat can be cooked in oil. This recipe, from Simple Seasonal, presents cooked shrimp and beef to dip into cheese fondue. Yum! (photo courtesy Simple Seasonal).

[4] For seafood fondue (no cheese), cocktail sauce and other traditional sauces—tartar, dill—are ideal dippers (photo courtesy Caviar Russe | NYC).

This recipe was adapted from GourmetSleuth.com.

Ingredients For 4 People

 
*Plan for at least 1/3 pound fish/seafood per person.
 
Preparation

1. CUT fish into one-inch cubes or 1/4″ w x 2″ long strips, depending on shape of filets. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

2. SET the table with plates, fondue forks and dips. You can provide individual dip portions, or have guests spoon dips onto their plates. (NOTE: Use only metal fondue forks or bamboo skewers, as wooden skewers can burn in hot oil.)

3. FILL the fondue pot with oil and heat on the stove until it reaches 350°F. Place the fondue pot on a brazier stand or hot plate on the table, over moderately high heat. Note that for beef or seafood fondue, you must use a stainless steel pot. Ceramic pots aren’t safe with the hot oil.

4. SPEAR cubes or shrimps and place in the hot oil until cooked.
 
 
SEAFOOD FONDUE DIPS

RECIPE: SPICY COCKTAIL SAUCE

Ingredients

 
1. COMBINE ingredients and refrigerate until use.

Ingredients

 
1. BLEND all ingredients in medium bowl. Season to taste with salt. Refrigerate until use.
 
 
RECIPE: DILL SAUCE

Ingredients

 
1. COMBINE clam juice and wine in a heavy small non-aluminum saucepan. Boil until reduced to 1/3 cup, about 9 minutes. Reduce heat to medium.

2. WHISK in crème fraîche. Boil until reduced to 1 cup, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in dill. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until use.
  

 
They join an existing line of 14 palate-pleasing and imaginative chocolate bars, including Baconluxious and Potato Chip.

The chocolate bars sell for an SRP of $6.00 (but are on sale for $4.00), and can be found online at ChuaoChocolatier.com as well as at major retailers nationwide, including Bed Bath & Beyond, REI and Whole Foods Markets.

MAKE YOUR OWN CEREAL CHOCOLATE BARS

For about the same price, you can make your own chocolate bars at Chocomize.com. This fun company utilizes a process that lets you place your choice of some 70 different ingredients—fruits, nuts, candies, spices—atop a dark, milk or white Belgian chocolate bar.

For Valentine’s Day, there are Candy Sugar Hearts, Message Hearts and LOVE plaques in white chocolate, along with Lavender Petals, 24 Karat Gold Flakes and Pink Pop Rocks.

You can create your own bar or send a gift certificate so the recipient can customize excactly what [s]he wants. (In fact, the gift certificates are one of our favorite Valentine gifts.)
  

Not everyone wants a box of bonbons or chocolate hearts for Valentine’s Day. Some of us would love the buttery crunch of toffee.

When we received samples of Tonja’s Toffee, we were happy, happy, happy. The style is very buttery, which is how we like it. And, this considerate family business makes nut-free varieties too.

Choices include:

 
The toffee is sold in quarter-pound, half-pound and one-pound bags. The small bags make great stocking stuffers or party favors.

The company also makes peanut butter bon bons and peanut brittle. We haven’t tried them yet, but as soon as we finish eating all our Valentine candy, they’re on our list.

Get yours at TonjasToffee.com.

Fresh green bean crops are harvested year-round, but are best in early winter, early summer and early fall. Beans picked early in the season are smaller and sweeter. As they mature, they lose flavor and get thicker and tougher.

“The combination of green beans and red potatoes, sometimes known as Green Beans Pierre, is one of my go-to side dishes,” SAYS Preci D’Silva, who contributed the recipe to Taste Of Home.

The recipe calls for dried herbs, but trust us: fresh herbs give a much more wonderful punch of flavor. You can use a combination of fresh and dried, depending on what you have on hand (e.g., fresh basil and parsley, dried tarragon). While this recipe uses an oil and vinegar dressing, you can also add green beans into mayonnaise-dressed potato salad.

While the recipe was developed to serve warm, it is equally delicious at room temperature. Prep time is 30 minutes.
 
 
RECIPE: WARM GREEN BEAN & POTATO SALAD

Ingredients For 10 Servings

Add crunch and flavor to potato salad (photo © Taste Of Home).

Preparation

1. PLACE the potatoes in a large saucepan; add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Meanwhile…

2. WHISK together the oil, vinegar and seasonings in a large bowl.

3. ADD the green beans to the pot of potatoes; return to a boil. Cook 3-5 minutes longer or until the vegetables are tender. Drain.

4. ADD to the dressing and toss to coat. Stir in the tomatoes and onion. Serve warm.

GREEN BEANS OR STRING BEANS: THE DIFFERENCE

String beans got their name because they originally had a string, a tough fiber that ran from one tip to the other. The string had to be removed before cooking. The task was onerous enough that the string was bred out of most varieties. But the name, handed down from generation to generation, lives on.

The beans also got the name of snap beans, because when you bend them, they snap.

There are two types of green beans:

 
Pole beans are also more tender, so if you have a choice, go for the flat beans.

But whether bush or pole, raw green beans are tender enough to be eaten raw. They are a standard on our crudité platter, and whenever we have them on hand, we add them to green salads, other vegetable salads, grain salads and protein salads (chicken, egg, tuna, etc.).

Here’s advice from Produce Pete:

These recipes, courtesy of Eclectic Recipes, have fun visual impact. You’ll also be adding a bit of the tropics to a cold day.

PATRIOT PUNCH

Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the run, Curaçao and pineapple juice in a shaker. Shake well and pour over ice in cocktail glass.

Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the Blue Chair Bay Coconut Rum, Blue Curaçao and pineapple juice in a shaker. Shake well and pour over ice in cocktail glass.

2. ADD the melon liqueur slowly, and let it fall to the bottom of the glass. Garnish with lemon and serve.