a California cliché, as modern as today …
Do you fondue?
Fondue cooking in four easy steps:
- Heat the wine
- Add grated cheese by handfuls
- Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly
- Transfer to tabletop warmer
Oh, and … buy your cheese at Milk Pail Market and we’ll even lend you the warmer!
INGREDIENTS
1 clove garlic
1½ cups (355 mL) dry white wine
nip of kirsch (scant Tbsp / 10~15 mL)
1 Tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice
1 lb (450+ g) genuine Swiss Emmentaler cheese (you may
decide to replace some of the Emmentaler with
Gruyere or Appenzeller)
1 rounded Tbsp flour
fresh ground pepper and nutmeg
2 loaves crusty Italian or French bread [from Milk Pail!]
Makes enough to serve a couple dozen noshers!
Preparation (~15 min)
Grate, shred or finely dice the Swiss cheese. Dredge with flour. (You can do this in advance and refrigerate the cheese in a tightly closed plastic bag)
Cut bread into 1" cubes. Each cube should have crust on one side.
Cooking (~15 min)
Rub inside of warming pot with cut garlic clove. Place on stove, pour wine and kirsch into pot, and heat over medium flame until wine is hot but not boiling. Add lemon juice.
Add handfuls of cheese, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon (slashing crosswise so cheese doesn’t ball up) until cheese is melted and the mixture has the appearance of a light creamy sauce. Add pepper and nutmeg to taste. Bring to a boil, then remove pot from stove and place atop lighted burner at table. Adjust flame of burner so Fondue continues bubbling very lightly.
Serve each guest a handful of bread cubes from a plate or basket. Spear a fork through bread, soft part first, letting crust secure the prongs. Dunk to bottom of Fondue pot and stir well; lift fork and twist over pot to neaten up.
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Safety tip! Tear open a little box of legendary baking soda and keep it at hand, ready to douse flare-ups before they can ruin your party or worse.