Fondue of You Gathering
This Valentine’s Day, I’m hosting a triple-date night to celebrate love, while keeping the occasion low-key to simply enjoy each other’s company. Join me for my Fondue of You gathering where we’ll indulge in a delicious and decadent cheese fondue and of course, some Champagne to toast to the special gathering.
The Gathering
In keeping with a casual low-key feel, the evening will take place in my home gathered around the kitchen island where I’ll arrange a big fondue station and place an assortment of accoutrements to complete the spread. I’ll invite my sister and her husband as well as our parents to join in the festivities and we’ll relax and linger around the fondue pot.
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The Inspiration
When I settled on cozy and casual intentions for my Valentine’s Day gathering, I knew Fondue would lend itself to be the perfect source of inspiration to bring the rest of the party together. Plus, my husband Réne {being Swiss!} can lead the preparation of the main course with his inherent expertise.
The tradition of serving Fondue inspires people to come together, share from the same dish, and graze a little more slowly while chatting and catching up. It doesn’t require a lot of work or clean up, and guests can easily chip into the prep work. Plus, there are some quirky traditions that bring a little humor, which is always welcome around our table!
The Menu
The menu will include a delicious pot of melted cheese – I'm thinking gruyere and a traditional Emmenthaler will do the trick. I’ll serve the cheese with accompany dip-able sides. Bread being a must-have of course, but another fondue-favorite is to include an assortment of raw vegetables.
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Drinks:
Our favorite Rosé Champagne, Laurent-Perrier
Main Course:
Mixed green salad with a light dressing.
Cheese Fondue with all the traditional accoutrements:
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Crusty Bread
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Cooked Potatoes
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Broccoli
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Cauliflower
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Pickles
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Pearl Onions
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And one untraditional addition...Apples!
Dessert:
Swiss Chocolate Bars
The Table & The Serving Spread
Since this gathering will take place while we perch around the kitchen island, the table and the serving spread are one in the same. The fondue will be served family-style from the center of the island, and each guest will have their own little place setting with all the proper dishes and tools for enjoying the featured menu.
For this fondue dinner, I plan to feature pieces from our Valentine’s Day Collection. These are perfectly suited to serve the dishes within the menu I have planned, as they are smaller in scale.
Each place setting will feature:
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An XOXO Heart Plate for the mixed green salad
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A Stamp of Love Trinket Dish, which makes for the perfect perch for the fondue fork
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A Kisses Dipping Bowl for their own personal serving of Kirsch (Cherry Brandy for Dipping Bread)
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A Stamp of Love Cocktail Napkin to rest beneath the flute glasses
The Décor
In keeping with the classic and cohesive look and feel for this Valentine’s Day celebration, I will pick up a few bouquets of red and pink roses as the centerpiece and main decorative feature. Rather than mix them together to create arrangements, I love to keep things simple, yet impactful and color block them in various vases. Then, I place them throughout the serving spread to break up the Family Style food a bit.
As I finish corralling the functional pieces for my gathering, I’ll make sure to choose the ones that fit within the color palette, like pink glasses and white vases to keep the look cohesive.
Host your own cheesy fondue celebration this Valentine’s Day and gather with those you love most. It’s easier than you think and makes for a memorable evening! There’s nothing better than a relaxing gathering sharing a delicious meal while lingering around the table.
