Caramel Fondue and a Fondue Party for New Year's Eve!

I don't know about you all, but I love planning food for the New Year's Eve party every year.  New Year's is so much fun, because it's the time when most people gather together with all their favorite people and party late into the night!  Next to having the right company and games, having the right food makes all the difference! :)  I'll tell you right now that fondue is the perfect party food, especially on New Year's Eve.  It takes awhile to eat and everyone ends up gathered around the fondue pots - talking, laughing and eating!  Having a variety of fun and different foods to dip is important too.  Just one or two options can get a little boring after a few hours, so keep it interesting with at least a dozen yummy dippables!

To start off the evening, serve up some savory fondues... the cheesier the better!  For dipping, getting a nice crusty artisan bread is a must.  It is better than French bread because the harder texture helps it not fall apart so easily when you dip it.  Even better, buy artisan-type rolls so that when you cut them up for dipping, there is a piece of crust on every bite.  There are lots of other yummy things to dip in cheese fondues as well like some of your favorite veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, etc) and fruit (apples!). Here are our two family favorites:

Ultimate Cheese Fondue

Pesto Swiss Fondue

And what would a fondue party be without a bunch of delicious dessert pots?!  Here are several delicious, smooth chocolate fondues that we love.  The Chocolate Truffle Sauce can be your basic chocolate fondue for those purists at your party... if you can call it "basic"! It is so creamy and heavenly your eyes will roll back in your head at the first bite! :)  The other two here are really fun and delicious twists on your basic chocolate fondue.  You are going to love them!  Click on the links below for recipes and instructions.

Chocolate Truffle Sauce

 

Chocolate Coconut Almond Fondue

Cookies and Cream Chocolate Fondue

Lastly I have a scrumptious caramel fondue to share!  It's a family recipe from my mother in law.  If there is one thing we love here at Sister's Cafe, it's family recipes!  Hope you enjoy and have a HAPPY New Year's Eve!!

Caramel Fondue
submitted by Brittany ~ The Sisters Cafe

2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 lb butter

Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat.  Add sugar and corn syrup.  Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add 1/4 of the milk and stir for another 3 minutes.  Add another 1/4 of milk and stir for another 3 minutes.  Continue twice more until all the evaporated milk is added.  Cook to 228 degrees F (not quite soft ball) while stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and pour into fondue pot to keep warm.