Ever since Jeff and I first visited The Melting Pot over twenty years ago, fondue has been one of our favorite special occasion dinners. And whether we brainwashed our girls or it’s in the Jarrett DNA, my daughters love it just as much as we do. We now do our own at-home fondue several times a year, including around Valentine’s Day when a chocolate fondue feast has become a family tradition.
Today I’m sharing some of the fondue table setting ideas I’ve come up with to make your gathering special. And I’m giving you our super simple (but crazy delicious) chocolate fondue recipe too! (post includes commissionable links; for more information, see my full disclosure statement {here})
Start With a Fondue Pot
A fondue pot that keeps your food warm throughout your meal is all that you need to have your first at-home fondue dinner. The two main types of fondue pots include (1) electric pots and (2) pots that are heated with paste/gel fuel burners. Electric pots are typically less expensive but have the downside of needing to be plugged in during use. {This fondue pot} is my top pick for an electric pot, but if you want a more budget-friendly option, consider {this pot} or {this pot}.
My pot uses a fuel burner so it’s cordless, which is nice:
It was a wedding gift and is no longer available, but {this fondue pot} is a great cordless option. It’s also made of cast iron which allows you to pre-heat your fondue on your stove if you want.
Bundle Your Forks and Napkins
A cute way to dress up your table for a fondue feast is to bundle your forks and napkin together on the plate. For this table setting, I found some red and white chevron ribbon in my crafting stash and used it to tie together a Valentine’s Day napkin with the fondue forks arranged in an “X” and a standard fork placed in the center:
For drinks, I brought out {these fun mugs} we normally use for hot chocolate and added {these cute red and white chevron straws}.
Add Texture and Pattern
Using chargers under your plates is one of my go-to tricks for making a table setting special. I especially love woven chargers such as {these} that add great texture. Also consider using a tablecloth or runner to add a pattern into the mix. I used my DIY macrame fringe table runner:
Snag Some Cute Bowls for Dippers
Normally we use simple round white bowls for our dippers, but consider shopping stores like Home Goods that have a lot of seasonal decor to find inexpensive, holiday-themed bowls. I found these adorable heart-shaped bowls there for our Valentine’s Day fondue dinner, and they were perfect!
Our favorite dippers for chocolate are fresh strawberries, cream puffs (I buy the frozen ones and take them out of the freezer about 15 minutes before we eat), cut-up chunks of pound cake, and marshmallows. Other options are Rice Krispie treats, bananas, and cheesecake (are you drooling yet?!).
Grab a Bundle or Two of Flowers
Grab a bundle or two of flowers from your grocery store and place them in mason jars to add some color to your table. I especially love Trader Joes for flowers if you happen to have one nearby. For my bouquets, I used pink and white ranunculus, small white roses, and some ornamental cabbage (all from Trader Joes). I also mixed in a bundle of the tall, wispy greenery to add a more untamed feel to the bouquets. I’ve always preferred bouquets that look like they were picked out of a garden rather than perfectly formed ones.
And Now… The Chocolate
When we feast on fondue at home, we actually skip the main entree because come on, who wants chicken when you’ve got cheese and chocolate?! Instead we just have a salad course (to keep the mom guilt away), cheddar cheese fondue with bread and apple dippers, and then the best part… chocolate fondue with all sorts of yummy dessert dippers.
The chocolate fondue recipe we use truly couldn’t be any easier. It takes only three ingredients and a max of three minutes to make!
The three ingredients include (1) Two 4.25 ounce Hershey’s Symphony bars (we like the ones with Almonds & Toffee Chips), (2) heavy whipping cream, and (3) peanut butter (optional).
Simply break apart the Symphony bars and put them in a microwave-safe bowl. Pour six tablespoons of the heavy whipping cream on top and microwave for 30 seconds. Once it comes out of the microwave, stir in a spoonful of peanut butter until the chocolate is fully melted and the peanut butter is blended in. Usually I’ll end up adding another tablespoon or two of whipping cream to get it to the perfect consistency but it’s best to start with less and add more if needed.
That’s it! Pour it into your fondue pot and you’re ready to feast! Enjoy!
XO,
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