The Big Cheese

Last Halloween, I hosted a Witches’ Dinner Party.  I served a Pumpkin Fondue as an appetizer.  This year, one of my readers asked me for the recipe, so I thought… why not share with everyone.  Since Pumpkin anything is such a Fall favorite… this Pumpkin Fondue should come in handy for the rest of the season!

Back when I was working on the menu for my Witches’ Dinner, I was surprised how difficult it was to find a Pumpkin Fondue recipe.  First of all, hasn’t everything been done in a Pumpkin flavor by now??  Second, most of the recipes that did come up were for miscellaneous cheese fondues baked inside of a pumpkin.  Eyes rolling!  That is not technically Pumpkin fondue!  That’s Cheese Fondue in a pumpkin bowl!!  Anyway… I decided I was better off just making my own recipe!

I LOVE classic fondue… it’s my favorite.  So, I decided to base this recipe on the old classic, but add some hints of Fall flavor.  I’m not a huge fan of Pumpkin, but when done subtly, I can get on board.  With this recipe the pumpkin is subtle.  Enough to add a touch of Fall, but not so much as to overpower the taste of the fondue.  I also replaced 1/2 of the standard white wine with Apple Cider Beer… another Fall flavor.  When creating this recipe, I actually tested five versions with slightly different ingredients, and differing amounts of each ingredient.  This is where I landed:

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Pumpkin Fondue

Ingredients:

• 1 Clove of Garlic, halved
• 4 oz Dry White Wine
• 4 oz Hard Apple Cider (Beer)
• 1 tsp Lemon Juice
• 16 oz Gruyere, shredded
• 1 tsp Corn Starch
• 1/2 Cup Pumpkin Puree
• 1 Tbsp Brandy
• Pinch of Nutmeg

Directions:

1. Rub the inside of a fondue pot or saucepan with the cut side of the garlic clove.
2. Discard the Garlic.
3. Pour the Wine, Cider, and Lemon Juice into the pot, and simmer over medium heat until bubbling.
4. Reduce heat and add a handful of the shredded cheese.
5. Stir constantly until all of the cheese is melted.
6. Repeat until all of the cheese has been added, and thoroughly melted.
7. Add the Pumpkin Puree and stir until combined.
8. In a bowl, mix the cornstarch and brandy.
9. Add Brandy mixture to the Cheese, and continue to stir for 3-4 minutes.
10. Fondue should be thick and bubbly, but not boiling.
11. Sprinkle with Nutmeg.

Typically, you would transfer the Fondue to a Table Burner and serve with dippers.  BUT…. that’s a bit too ordinary…..

I know that Pumpkin Fondue doesn’t exactly fit with my typical Goth-It-Yourself Projects and Spooky Recipes…. but even an ordinary dish, like fondue, can be given a dark twist with the right serving pieces.  Here are a few examples:

For the Witches’ Dinner, I served the fondue in small ceramic cauldrons.  I am not sure where I found mine, but I found these Food Safe Cauldron Bowls that are very similar if you wanted some of your own. I also served it in my Black Cast Iron Pumpkin Cocotte.  I love that they make one in matte black!!  Just because it’s a pumpkin… it doesn’t mean it has to be orange!!  And lastly, if you wanted to get really creative, serve it in a creepy Knucklehead pumpkin.  Just cut the top off, clean out the inside, and use as a bowl.  You could even bake the fondue in the pumpkin!   Once I started going through my pictures, it dawned on me that the Knucklehead Pumpkin Bowls would look amazing if the outside was painted black.  I didn’t have a chance to test that out (because I ate most of the fondue after these photos were taken!!  oops!), but I wanted to throw it out there as another spooktacular option!  One caveat to these options…. fondue wont stay melted forever, so serve it hot, and don’t let it sit out too long without being heated.

Last but not least, an added detail…. use these Skull Cocktail Picks in place of your fondue forks!

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