"fondue" 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.

Fondue. Photo: 02b, flickr.

Just when you thought fondue was any combination of melted cheese bubbling away in a pot, along comes the Swiss government with their strict rules and regulations. Not that we're surprised -- a country known for its precision and design sense would naturally prefer to mandate the definition of exactly what goes into the pot.

According to the Canadian Press, a new national cookbook, "The Swiss Cookbook," put out with the help of the country's tourism agency defines the recipe as a mix of "only Vacherin and Gruyere cheeses mixed with Fendant wine and a dash of kirsch (cherry) schnapps." The book even includes instructions on the proper way to eat the fondue, including stirring tips and what to drink with the dish. Aside from the classic fondue recipe, the book packs more than 140 national dishes for rib-sticking mountain fare.

After the jump, get the authentic fondue recipe.

Saturday night, I had some people over for fondue. It was a dinner that a friend and I put up in a service auction last spring and it was due time to give the winners the event they had won. I did both cheese and chocolate, all with a varied array of appropriate dippers. Someone commented, as they took in the number of things I had put out to dip, that they'd never really been given so many options of things to dip.

I served the cheese fondue with the traditional chunks of bread as well as pieces of grilled and cubed chicken, blanched veggies (broccoli, carrots and brussels sprouts) and grape tomatoes. The chocolate was matched up with pound cake, chunks of rice crispy treats, shortbread cookies, pineapple, strawberries, apples, oranges, banana and pears. I was disappointed with the cheese fondue, for the first time ever, it was sort of chunky in texture. I don't know why that happened. However, it was totally redeemed by the chocolate. Smooth and the perfect consistency, it was a winner. The recipe is after the jump.

The web is a wonderful place, filled with news, information, how-to guides, games, and pornography. It also happens to be a place where you can find a ton of books...for free! At the Project Gutenberg site, I found this one: The Complete Book of Cheese, a 1955 book by Bob Brown.

This isn't just some small article-extended-to-book-length thing -- it's quite an extensive history of cheese, along with illustrations, personal observations, and recipes. Chapters include "I Remember Cheese," "Foreign Greats," "Native Americans," and "The Fondue." There's even an A to Z of cheese you might want to print out.

There's also a section titled "Fit For Drink," which tells you what drink to pair with what cheese. As the quote says, "A country without a fit drink for cheese has no cheese fit for drink."

When I want to keep my coffee or tea warm, I do one of three things: I drink it quickly, keep it in an insulated mug or stay reasonably close to the microwave so I can reheat it if necessary. I don't think that I would ever get to the point where I needed a drink warmer like the one pictured here. This set has two main components: a frosted glass mug and a zinc cup holder/warmer, which has a space for a tea light. It also includes the stainless steel stirring spoon/drinking straw pictured with it.

It looks a bit like a fondue set, doesn't it? Clearly, you would have to regularly stir your drink to prevent the bottom from scalding, particularly if you're drinking a dairy-based beverage.

I would rather just drink my hot cocoa quickly if the only reheating option seemed like a fire hazard.

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