I should start off by saying that I have never attempted to make fondue before. How long have I owned a fondue pot? Long enough that I really have no excuse for not trying it out by now. Yet it seemed like a very important thing to register for when we were getting married...
Whenever Mr. CAPE and I have something big to celebrate, or if someone gives us a big VISA giftcard, we tend to go to Melting Pot. We love the atmosphere and the food. It's funny how something as simple as melted cheese with a few mix-in, or some broth with a variety of meats and seafoods seems so fancy. So of course when I decided to make my first fondue attempt, I wanted it to be something on par with one of our favorite restaurants. Go big or go home, right? Or go as big as you can go when heating up some broth in a pot :)
I found a recipe for the mojo broth used by Melting Pot here. Since the post said it was from a Melting Pot restaurant owner, I figured no additional searching was necessary. Next, I considered the meats I should use and how to prepare them. I have shrimp and chicken breast easily available, and I decided to add steak as well. After some research about the appropriate cuts to use I ended up purchasing Laura's Lean Beef boneless strip steak, though sirloin, ribeye, or tenderloin should also work.
After extensive searching on the internet, I could not find any other copycat recipes for marinades or descriptions of how to prepare the meat. I do not recall from any of our visits that the shrimp or chicken had been marinaded or seasoned visably. The steak usually is marinaded. I settled on some salt and pepper for the chicken, and marinading the steak in a small amount of teryaki for a few hours.
I made the chicken bouillon from a Kroger bouillon powder over the stove. In hindsight, I should have prepped all the rest of the food before I even started making the broth. I followed the instructions for 5 1/4 cups of broth. I added the orange juice, lime juice, jerk seasoning (I used a Kroger brand jerk seasoning), cumin, and pepper and cilantro. After reading the comments on the original recipe, I only added 1T. of cumin and pepper instead of 2. After a taste test, I definitely felt like the flavor of the broth was too strong and salty. I could not taste as much of the citrus as I recalled from the Melting Pot. I ended up doubling both the orange juice and lime juice, and maybe adding a little more. Mr. CAPE was in the kitchen observing the process and commented that adding the extra juice made it smell much more like the origianl at the restaurant.
We poured the mixture into the fondue pot and turned it up to 250 degrees. You want the broth to be at a gentle boil.
The mojo was definitely a success. I had diced up a red potato and some broccoli, which we added to the pot immediately like we would at the restaurant. I do not eat broccoli for any reason, but I very recently discovered that when broccoli has been in mojo and any flavor the broccoli had completely cooked out and replaced by mojo, I actually like the broccoli. That probably just means I like mojo, but I still count it as a win.
The steak didn't quite have the same tenderness, but I splurged on the actual melting pot teryaki sauce, which went a long way. I did miss the curry sauce to go with my chicken, but Melting Pot does not appear to sell that. And I had some fabulous spicy cocktail sauce for the shrimp. After making all the food, we did realize how important the sauce pairings were to us- that was something we always enjoy at the restaurant. I think this is definitely something we will be trying again, and we might be trying out some other courses as well.
At the time I was making this, I didn't realize I would suddenly feel inspired to write a blog, but Mr. CAPE did take one picture of the process because he was excited.
Here is the modified recipe:
Include your favorite meats and veggies such as steak (sirloin, strip, ribeye, or tenderloin), pork, shrimp, chicken, tuna, broccoli, red potatoes, or mushrooms. Meats should be cut into 1-inch cubes, and changes in sizes can affect cooking times.
Make the bouillon and have it boiling on the stove top. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Add the mixture to your fondue pot and bring it to a gentle boil. Dip your food in- 1.5 minutes for shrimp, 2 minutes for most other meats. Vegetables should stay in longer to absorb flavor and cook through. Enjoy!
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