Fondue you can do: Chocolate, meet fruit.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Now that the holiday season is upon us, you'll most likely soon be planning celebratory get-togethers with your friends, neighbors, and family. For a fun change of pace, invite the gang over for savory and sweet fondue. They'll love it, and it's easier to put a fondue party together than you might think. You can choose to serve up cheese fondue, chocolate fondue, or (best of all) both. For home fondue-making tips, we turned to Luis Gonzalez, chef at The Bourgeois Pig in New York City, where diners choose from a wide variety of cheese, chocolate, and other fondues. Check out Gonzalez's expert advice, and give a few of our Rodale Recipe Finder versions a try.

Secrets of a fantastic fondue party experience:

• Choose your cheese thoughtfully. Gonzalez mixes classic fondue cheeses from Switzerland like Gruyere, Appenzeller and Vacherin; they’re from different regions of the country and have subtly contrasting flavors. You can get good cheese-selecting advice buy purchasing the cheese at a cheese shop or specialty market.

• Stabilize cheeses that tend to separate. Gonzalez combines Blue Castello, a blue cheese that would break when heated, with a mild Queso Chihuahua, which is good for melting and also gives elasticity to the fondue. Your cheese seller can advise you on which of your selections should be mixed, and which cheeses can stand on their own.

• Preparation matters. Gonzalez recommends grating the cheese and adding just a little cornstarch in order to achieve a silky fondue texture. Make sure that any liquids you're using are heated before adding them the cheese.

• Get creative. Spice up your fondue with your favorite flavorings, and serve with dippers that match the theme. For example, Gonzalez serves a curry fondue with traditional Indian accompaniments such as vegetable skewers, crispy papadam, chewy naan, and paneer cheese. Try a Mexican fondue made with Monterey Jack cheese, beer, cumin, chopped chilies and chopped tomatoes, served with soft tortillas or tortilla chips, sliced jicama and grilled chorizo sausage.

• Chocolate fondue lends itself to variations. Chocolate fondues are relatively easy to make, according to Gonzalez, who uses half-and-half as a base, adding dark, milk, or white chocolate and various flavorings. He serves a Mexican dark chocolate fondue with cinnamon and cayenne, and experiments with unusual combinations like white chocolate and green tea.