"FonduePot" news and stories

Cheese fondue, the Swiss communal dish of bread dipped in a pot of hot melted cheese, is the ideal antidote to the frosty cold dark winter. Its mere heat, rich taste, and pungent aroma warm up the body, comfort the soul, and awaken the palate. In addition, it's a shared meal that represents the very essence of conviviality. Shared with friends and family members, cheese fondue is the perfect remedy to fight off the "winter blues." And, one of the most exciting parts about making fondue is the creative process involved in selecting the cheeses.

Although most cheese fondue recipes tend to call for Swiss cheeses such as Emmentaler and Gruyère, there's no reason why Americans cannot choose stateside alternatives. In fact, in Switzerland, nearly every canton makes fondue using locally sourced cheeses. So what's an American cook to do when trying to use domestic cheeses in his or her fondue? In order to find out, we talked to two prominent U.S. chefs who specialize in melted cheeses: Ralf Kuettel from New York's Trestle on Tenth and Terrance Brennan, who runs restaurants such as New York's Artisanal and Picholine and Bellevue's Artisanal Brasserie and The Artisanal Table Pizzeria Enoteca, both just outside of Seattle.

When I was 22, I inherited two fondue pots from my grandparents. They are red and green, and have that distinctive, 1970's, Danish Modern look that is so popular these days. Personally, I grew up seeing pots just like them in every thrift store my mom dragged me to, so it took me several years to stop seeing them as junk and come around to their iconic shape. I first truly appreciated them on New Year's Eve, the time when the date changed from 2003 to 2004 and I co-hosted a fondue party with my friend Cindy. One taste of the Gruyere fondue we made that night convinced me that those pots deserved a permanent place in the cookware rotation.

I still use the same recipe that I printed off the Food Network website five years ago. The page is wrinkled and stained, to the point where the recipe is nearly illegible. As luck would have it, a new cookbook recently crossed my path that makes me think that it might be time to retire this tattered page and try out some new recipes. Called Great Party Fondues by Peggy Fallon, this slim volume contains recipes for a wide range of cheesy, sweet and savory fondues, as well as tips on how to buy a fondue pot, fondue etiquette and safety tips. Pair it with a sleek stainless steel fondue set for perfect engagement or wedding gift.

Recipes I'm particularly looking forward to trying include the Welsh Rarebit on page 42 (I remember reading books when I was a child that included mentions of this dish. I never realized it was simply a melted cheese concoction), the Tomato-Vodka Fondue on page 63 and the Peanut Butter with Chocolate Swirls. Fondue lovers, start your engines!

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