Fondue Doesn’t Have to Be Intimidating

I am a child of the 70s, and the hallmark of my people is our incredibly strong love for fondue. And, you know, the talking cars and the Care Bears and the involuntary attachment to the Bee Gees . But fondue holds up to something that KITT can’t.

Fondue in any form is terrible for you. Whether you’re tossing meat into a giant pan of butter, coating a pie and strawberries in runny chocolate, or inhaling half a baguette with a cauldron of cheese, your cardiologist would never do it.

But, as with Morrissey records, sometimes you can’t explain why you love what you love, and cheese fondue is a hit at just about any gathering. It’s perfect for two – in the sense that it can be shockingly sexy because of the lactose – and downright platonic when shared around a campfire with friends. It’s an easy hit for dinner parties, and even at a real party, a simple cheese fondue would be an obvious gathering place.

Skip TJ’s fondue set. You are an adult. Get together and make some real damn fondue.

How to choose the best fondue pot

Most fondue pots are designed to hold and heat butter, chocolate, and cheese, so they support a wide range of temperatures. As for the cheese, you don’t have to heat it to that degree; you just want it to stay smooth. For this reason, you may not use a fondue pot if you are working around a campfire.

I recommend avoiding fondue pots where the Sterno is the only source of heat. They just don’t get hot enough to keep the cheese melted. (By the way, they don’t go well with chocolate either; in fact, I find them useless.) You need an electric fondue pan . They are inexpensive and usually come with fondue forks, which are also available for next to nothing. Pots and forks are so inexpensive that it’s not worth going to a thrift store. You want an option with an intact non-stick coating.

What cheese to use for fondue

When it comes to cheese, I am a purist. I believe that cheese fondue should pay tribute to its Alpine origins with a combination of Gruyère, Comté and Swiss cheeses. How you share it is up to you. I make these decisions on the fly in TJ’s cheese department based on what they have. I prefer a less Swiss combination, more Gruyère and Comte, but that’s a personal preference. I’m aiming for about half a pound of cheese per person, which is both intimidating and completely accurate.

Take the cheese home and grab a grater. Even better, if you have a food processor grater, push all of the cheese through it. Either way, toss all of the grated cheese into a large bowl and toss it into the flour so the pieces are evenly coated.

Add-ons

Grate some garlic. Yes, lattice . Do not grind or cut; rub it with a microplane: it’s quick and it will make a good paste. Take a whole bottle of white wine. I always go for a sweeter wine like a Riesling, but again this is my personal choice – a dry Owl will work too.

Leave the fondue pot on the table. We are going to cook fondue on the stove in a separate pot. Add garlic paste and two cups of wine, increase heat to medium and whisk. Once the wine boils, start slowly adding the cheese, a handful at a time. Beat as you go, fully adding each addition of cheese. Once the cheese has melted, add another handful. Keep doing this until all of the cheese has been added. Keep stirring until everything is completely melted.

Often people are scared by the idea of ​​melting all that cheese, or they have already failed. But once you realize that it’s a wine sauce with cheese added and that the flour will make everything smooth, the intimidation factor should go away.

Now we will adjust the viscosity of the mixture and add the last flavoring. You correct it with wine, and people often add too little. You want the consistency of a really thick pasta sauce, but not stickier. When in doubt, a little wine will help. This will mix the flour with the fat, thicken the mixture (like a dressing) and bind it together.

Finally, the classic fondue includes Kirsch, a cherry-flavoured brandy. In my lean years I didn’t have cherry alcohol just hanging around waiting for fondue. I skipped it and everyone was quite happy. Once I added some maraschino cherry juice and it was delicious.

But a few years ago I started making this ridiculous concoction called Cherry Bounce . I now add a fair amount of this to fondue and it has been a wonderful addition. I can’t explain why cherries make the cheese taste better or if other fruits would work, but if you have cherry alcohol, I suggest adding it. All you need is a splash.

If these clumsy sums make you nervous (they definitely annoy my editor), try this simple recipe and zoom in as needed.

Light cheese fondue

• 1 pound alpine cheese
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 small garlic clove
• 3 glasses of white wine
• 1 tablespoon cherry drink optional.

Grate cheese and mix with flour. Grate the garlic with a microblade, then add it to the pot along with the wine. Increase heat to medium and whisk. Once the wine boils, start slowly adding the cheese, a handful at a time, whisking all the time. Once the cheese has melted, add another handful. Repeat until all of the cheese has been added, stirring constantly until the cheese is completely melted. Set the fondue pot as described below and serve.

Buckets

It’s easy to take several types of bread and cut them into cubes to dip them in, but I like to experiment a bit. Choose one hearty bread with a crispy crust and cut it into cubes. Get some soft pretzels. Add steamed broccoli stalks, cauliflower stalks and very well done baby Yukon golden potatoes to the dish. For spice, add some sliced ​​Alsatian or German sausage, already cooked and warm.

Dinner

If there is a lull before dinner, put all the ladles in the microwave for a minute to warm them up before everyone sits down.

Set the fondue pot to medium level. Pour the cheese into the pan and have the handle adjuster of the person closest to the dial. They will need to keep the cheese below the boiling state. (Cheese does not burn here.) Keep cord securely fastened.

Everyone gets a plate, fork and at least one napkin. You won’t need a knife if everything has been prepared so that you can bite into it. This is a dinner to linger on, so there should be plenty of drinks, and a saucepan should always be at hand. Playing Bee Gees wouldn’t be absurd.