New Year’s Eve and Chocolate Fondue

When I was a kid growing up in New England, New Year’s Eve was a very special family holiday. My parent’s best friends would come for dinner, which was typically fondue. All the rage in the ‘60s, we would start with meat fondue. My mother would prepare small bites of raw beef, chicken, and pork that each person would cook in the fondue pot using a long, slender fork. Once the meat was cooked, an array of unique condiments was passed to adorn the tender morsels. Following this would be a cheese fondue. Like molten lava, the cheese would be kept warm in the fondue pot, and small bits of bread, fruit, and potato would be dipped into it, according to each individual’s preference. (more…)