It's official, the holiday spirit is upon us! And what better way to celebrate than to gather your family and friends to decorate your home in a festive way. Of course, if you're going to do that, you should also enjoy a meal together. This month, I suggest a creamy seafood fondue that's sure to please.
Fondue is great because, at the heart of it, it's just finger food. And we all love that, right? You can make this creamy seafood fondue in about 20 minutes and keep it warm in a fondue pot for hours. Then, encourage everyone to help themselves to an array of dippers before they dive in. Between decorating your home for the holidays and helping themselves to warm cubes of bread and roasted pieces of vegetables covered in a rich seafood delight, everyone will be in the holiday spirit!
I suggest using fresh vegetables for dipping. They will retain a better texture after roasting and make better companions to the fondue. You can recapture some of the time lost in preparing the fresh vegetables by using canned seafood in the fondue!
Whether you enjoy this meal while working at decorating for the holidays or around a table to welcome the New Year, I'd like to wish you all a happy and healthy holiday season. In other words, Seasoned Greetings to you all!
Seafood Fondue
- 1 T. margarine or butter
- 2/3 c. diced mushrooms
- 1/2 c. diced onion
- 1 can chopped clams, drained
- 1 can crabmeat, drained
- 1 can salad shrimp, drained
- 2 pkgs. 1/3 fat cream cheese
- 1/2 lb. Swiss cheese, grated
- 1 T. Dijon mustard
- 2/3 c. sherry
- 2 c. broccoli flowerets
- 2 c. asparagus pieces
- 2 c. snow peas
- 2 c. halved mushrooms
- 3 T. olive oil
- 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
- Cubes of sourdough bread
To make the fondue, melt the butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Sauté the mushrooms and onion until softened, but not browned. Stir in the seafood. Add the cheeses and stir constantly until melted. Add the mustard and white wine and mix well; bring to a simmer over low heat.
To prepare the dippers, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Toss the vegetables with the olive oil and Italian seasoning in a 9 X 13-inch baking dish. Roast, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving plate. Place the bread cubes in a basket for serving.
Transfer the fondue to a warmed fondue pot. Serve hot, keeping a low heat. Dip the prepared bread cubes and vegetables into the mixture to serve.
- Yields: 4-6 servings
- Preparation Time: 20 minutes