Brielle's Avalon

Once upon a time fondue pots were almost required as wedding or housewarming gifts. Now they can readily be found in thrift stores. It seems to be making a comeback, at least a little bit of interest in spots. Who doesn’t like melted cheese on bread and stuff? This is the way my Mom made it since the ’70s. The original recipe called for gruyere cheese, but since we couldn’t find that reliably back then we did the best we could.

If you don’t have a fondue pot you can use a pan on the stove, but be warned, it’ll get thick on the table and you’ll have to re-melt it, which can be a bit of a pain, so if you make it and like it you might want to pick up a proper fondue pot next time you see one. If it’s decorative you can leave it on display as a conversation piece (make up an epic family story or some such acquisition story). Stories are good.

Cut a loaf of French bread into cubes, about an inch square or so. It helps if they mostly have crust so you can spear the fondue forks through the crust and get a good grip on them so they don’t fall off in the pot. It also helps if the loaf is a day or so old, nut not hard. Something off the bargain rack from yesterday is fine, or plan ahead and buy the day before, but bargain bread is cheaper.

Grate 1 lb of Swiss cheese. Mix in a Tbsp of cornstarch.

Grate 3 triangles of that soft happy cow snacking cheese. The colder the better, it kind of squishes through the grater. If you save a bit of Swiss to grate after this it’ll help clean up the grater. Mix it in with the Swiss and corn starch.

Rub the fondue pot’s sides with a clove of garlic. This really does make a yummy difference.

On the stove over medium heat warm 1/2 bottle of dry white wine. I use Riesling. Yes, you can find it dry or dry-ish.

A handful at a time, melt the cheese in the warm wine. Stir constantly. this’ll take a bit of patience, but it’s worth it.

If you have an actual fondue pot either plug in the burner and set it on the table or light the sterno or tea light to put under it on its stand. Put the pot on the stand and let everyone choose a fork and start dipping. Put one or two on your plate and eat them with a regular fork as they cool just a bit. Only use the fondue fork for dipping, since it has to go back into the pot.

If you feel adventurous you can try pieces of mushroom, broccoli, cauliflower or even warmed up leftover roast. Any bite-sized morsel that can stay firm on a fondue fork. This is peasant food, originally made to use up leftover cheese and bread, so using up other leftovers is perfectly acceptable.

Don’t drop your bread or other dipping morsels in the pot! You’ll have to pay a forfeit, like buying the next round, kissing your neighbour/sweetie, doing the washing-up or maybe even just a coin or 2 in the charity can. If there are any leftovers you can save them til tomorrow, re-melt it in the microwave and put it over some leftover bread. Yummy breakfast or brunch. Any leftover bread can be used in stuffing, made into croutons for salads and soups or turned into bread crumbs for something else later. Have fun playing with your food!

A salad on the side is refreshing or crudités or some cold cuts and pickles are nice, too or maybe an artichoke as a first course. The same wine you use to melt the cheese should go well with it, too. A nice, light beer or water is fine as well.