Halloween Fondue

Oh what fun! LMGI has already gotten its first email request! Jennifer writes, “Please plan the following menus for me… within the hour please ;-) Christmas formal affair, Thanksgiving potluck and Halloween fondue.”

Oy vey. Well, not so much within an hour (I do have a real job after all) and not all three, but I DO have a fun Halloween fondue menu to share. Now, Jennifer didn’t elaborate if this was a sit-down or buffet-style dinner, or the number of people, so I will assume this is a sit-down dinner for four.

When planning this menu, I focused on using seasonal ingredients (apples, pecans, pumpkins), and I thought about the purpose of the dinner – to celebrate Halloween. Finally, we can’t forget Jennifer’s request for fondue either.

Originally, I was thinking of this pumpkin soup recipe cooked directly in the shell, and then I thought, hmmm, what if we cooked the fondue directly in the pumpkin shell? How festive would that be?!



Happily, a little research offered up the perfect recipe.

Now all that is left is maybe a nice salad to start with and dessert. I believe it is a necessity to offer a variety of Halloween candy when throwing a Halloween dinner party, but to be a bit more grown-up about it, perhaps we should offer a real dessert as well…



This brown sugar and chocolate chip pound cake with maple-espresso glaze from October's Bon Appetit should do the trick. Doesn’t it just sound autumnal?

So, in total, my Halloween Fondue menu for Jennifer is

Roasted Apple Salad (recipe below)
Pumpkin Cheese Fondue
Brown Sugar & Chocolate Chip Pound Cake with Maple-Espresso Glaze
Halloween Candy

In terms of beverage pairings, I would recommend a slightly dry Riesling to go with these savory autumn flavors. Right now, all the liquor stores will be marking their favorite picks for Thanksgiving, most of those will go well with this menu also. For dessert, coffee is a must with this pound cake. Don’t skimp on the beans, fresh coffee is the best.


Roasted Apple Salad with Candied Pecans and Blue Cheese
Serves four

2 apples, Golden Delicious apples hold up well to baking
1 Tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon sugar
1 shallot, minced
1 teaspoon honey
½ teaspoon dry mustard
¼ cup sherry vinegar
5 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
½ medium red onion, thinly sliced into rings
1 head each of endive, watercress and frisee
Blue cheese crumbles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Slice apples and then combine with the red onion rings, the melted butter, and the sugar in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a baking sheet and roast until tender, about 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In another bowl, whisk together the minced shallot, honey, dry mustard and vinegar; then slowly whisk in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

In your serving bowl, combine greens and drizzle with enough vinaigrette to lightly coat. Top with roasted apples and onions and spoon remaining vinaigrette over the apples. Top with blue cheese crumbles and candied pecans.

Candied Pecans

5 cups pecan halves
½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon ginger
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons canola oil

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Place nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast until fragrant, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the sugar, salt and ginger in a small bowl and set aside.

Combine the honey, 2 Tablespoons water and oil in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and add toasted pecans. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until all liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes.

Transfer mixture to a bowl, add sugar mixture and toss to combine. Spread nuts in a single layer on parchment paper to cool.

*Pecans will keep for one week if stored in an airtight container.

Happy Halloween!