Everything that I have been cooking, and eating, and thinking about is all wrong. I have no pumpkin for you. No sweet potatoes. No cranberries. Not even a green bean casserole.
I have peanut sauce. But here’s what makes it special, here’s what elevates it to worthy of the week of Thanksgiving: the fondue pot. Simply pouring the rich spicy sauce into that crazy apparatus from the back of your cupboard transforms an otherwise humble and shockingly simple mid-week meal into a gathering, a way to involve your kids or your pals in dinner, a party.
Back in our first married apartment, sitting at my grandma’s stylish-again dining table, Paul and I huddled over the tiny flame underneath our new white ceramic pot filled with warm peanut sauce, and talked about what a fun meal this would make for kids. While not many of the starry-eyed ideals one has about parenting really work in the brutal world of parking lot tantrums and emergency snacks that you never imagined would pass your precious child’s lips, this one was spot on. The peanut butter fondue party does in fact make a great family meal.
Peanut Sauce for Fondue Pot
If you are using unsalted peanut butter, you will probably want a touch more soy sauce. I measured and wrote this down for you. I never measure when I make a sauce like this - you just want a balance of salty, sweet, sour, spicy, and that warm savory flavor that the peanut butter and sesame oil adds to the game. So adjust to your liking, if it's too salty, add more sweet and/ or sour and vice versa. If it's too spicy, add a little more everything, so it's really much easier to start with little bits of spicy. On a similar note, if you don't have these exact ingredients, this sauce is endlessly malleable. Sometimes I use lime juice instead of vinegar and fresh chiles instead of the paste, and coconut milk instead of sesame oil, and sugar instead of agave nectar. I just always think of those 5 essential flavors. This is really just a rough outline for you to play with. Have fun.
1/4 c. salted crunchy peanut butter
1 T. soy sauce
2 T. rice vinegar
1/2 t. chile garlic paste
1 T. agave nectar
1 t. sesame oil
2 T. hot water
Place all ingredients in a smallish bowl or glass measuring cup and stir until smooth. Pour in fondue pot.
Serve with quick pan seared broccoli and tofu and bowls of brown rice, or whatever would be improved by a dip in peanut sauce, and really what wouldn't?
Yield: This makes enough sauce for our little family of two grownups and one momentarily (crosses fingers) finicky toddler. Speaking of which, if you're making this for children, you might want to cut down or omit the spicy.
