bite
I fondue, do you?
Do it with chocolate. Or do it with cheese. If you want to get adventurous try using broths, sauces and oils.
by Anja Winikka, senior Jayplay writer
Kit Leffler/Jayplay photographer
Fondue — it's not just a word that rhymes with rendezvous, it's French culinary cuisine. And you don't even need to buy a fondue pot to make your own. A crock pot or any stainless steel cooking pan and a stove will melt cheese and chocolate fondues just fine.
Trust me, if you're looking for a way to impress your favorite TriLambda or you're buddies are coming over to watch Family Guy and you know they'll raid your pantry if you don't come up with something
to feed them, then read on, my friends, and find out what fondue has in store for you.
Cheese It Up
Go ahead, dip your sourdough bread into that hot, buttery, melted white cheese. Cheese fondue is a great way to learn the art of melted masterpieces. For the all-American taste, cut up a Granny Smith green apple and dip it in melted cheddar cheese. And if you like veggies with dip — try dipping a crispy or-
History
This quirky culinary cuisine seems to have originated from the Swiss mountains, a product of Swiss cow herders who spent long days in snow-covered pastures with sparse provisions, according to the Melting Pot's history of fondue handout.
The herders had an abundance of cheese, loaves of bread and bottles of wine to help keep warm. No scrap of
cheese went uneaten as they cooked the cheese, mixed with wine, in earthenware cooking pots.
This melted cheese and wine, dish dip slowly made its way down the hills into the houses of Swiss nobles by way of servants.
But fondue was not introduced to the world until the Frenchman, Jean Birlat-Savarin
brought it to the United States after escaping the French Revolution. A consensuir of good food, Savarin brought fondue au fromage (with cheese) to the culinary world. Savarin's fondue is made with creamy scrambled eggs, butter and a small amount of 'Gruyere cheese' — considered the predecessor of America's baked casserole.
ange carrot into melted cheese. The
ange carrot into Melting Pot Restaurant in Kansas City, which offers a four-course fondue-exclusive dinner, features four types of cheeses for the first course, according to General Manager, Donn Davis.
French, fondre to melt A dish in which small pieces of food are dipped into a hot sauce or a hot cooking medium such as oil or broth
Prepared right at the table are Swiss, Gruyere, Cheddar and Spinach Artichoke. Guests have their choice of various breads, apples and veggies for fabulous, cheesy dipping action.
Oils, Broths and Sauces Oh My!
A little more complicated are main course fondues. But don't shy away because shrimp with warm cocktail sauce (see recipe box)
and chicken dipped in hot teriyaki sauce make for a robust and flavorful meal. Another less fattening fondue option is simple vegetable broths or bouillon. Chop up some potatoes, veggies or small bits of seafood and get dipping.
Chocolate Dream
If chocolate is the way to a woman's heart then chocolate fondue is the way to her pants. But seriously, chocolate fondue comes in an abundance of different varieties. Grab a couple king-size Hershey bars at the store and mix it with whatever you please. The Melting Pot offers pure chocolates — dark, white, and milk — Cookies 'n Cream Marshmallow Dream, Chocolate S'mores, Yin and Yang, Amaretto Meltdown and Flaming Turtle. So throw in some Oreos or swirl the chocolate with Caramel sauce. Just make sure your taste buds are ready to endure pure bliss.
Recipes
Spicy Cocktail Sauce
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 cup catsup
3/4 teaspoon prepared horseradish.
Dash hot pepper sauce.
Combine ingredients and store refrigerated until use.
Horseradish Cream Sauce
A good accompaniment to beef fondue
1 cup sour cream 3 tablespoon pre
poured in dish
pared horseradish
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 scallions, finely chopped
...
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce salt and pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. This sauce is best if prepared at least an hour in advance.
Source: www.gourmetsleuth.com