Fondue. No other word can match it in conjuring up that era of the mindless drug-induced pursuit of leisure, The 70's. Well, no other word except for maybe wife-swapping. But that's two words and it's a whole 'nother topic in itself. I'm writing about fondue because my buddy Darren chose to write about cheese today over at his blog.
Like any other child of the 80's, I avoided fondue like polyester. Besides, I was much too busy in my teen years trying to get my Billy Idol look just right (My Hell I went through a lot of hairspray) and daydreaming about running away from home and joining up as a roadie for The Go Gos.
But during a vacation to Paris 5 or 6 years ago my French friends Eric and Caroline introduced me to the yumminess of real fondue. I was at their Parisian apartment one day and asked them what the dinner plans were going to be.
"Fondue!" Eric replied.
And before you could say "leisure suit" he was grating away at a couple of blocks of cheese. With the practiced ease in which Eric threw together the garlic, wine, cheeses and spices you could tell the man knew how to melt cheese. Eric grew up near
Caroline sliced the crusty French baguettes and I got comfortable on the couch with a glass of champagne (The French can be soooo gracious!) as the cheese was melted and started bubbling in the pot. Eric used an electric burner. We in America use stupid little alcohol cans to try to melt the cheese but what usually happens instead is we set fire to aunt Edna's newly permed hair.
With the fondue course Eric served a very delicious dry Alsatian white wine that had enough force to cut through the strong flavors of the cheese. We don't have any wine like that here in America. Well, there might be something for more than $7.95 but I don't spend that unless the Pope's coming for dinner.
The fondue was incredible. Absolutely delicious. When I got back to the U.S. the first I did was order a real nice German made electric fondue pot, which the ex took in the divorce (she liked fondue too). I have since bought an el-cheapo one off eBay. Hey, it works and aunt Edna is safe.
Here is the Eric's fondue recipe (this is from memory... I'm sure Eric will correct me after he reads this). It uses two cheeses which I remember to be Emmentaler and Gruyère. The Emmentaler adds sharpness and the Gruyère adds a sweeter nutty flavor. Start with an equal ratio of the two cheeses and adjust to your liking. I think Eric used a little more Emmentaler than Gruyère.
1 clove garlic
Big splash of dry white wine (about 2 tablespooons)
1/2 lb Emmentaler, grated
1/2 lb Gruyere, grated
Fresh grated nutmeg
1 Baguette, cut into 1" cubes, for dipping.
Split the clove of garlic and use it to rub the inside of the pot. Heat the pot over medium and when it's warm pour in the wine. Let it reduce in half. Add the cheeses and a couple of grates of nutmeg. Stir it frequently as it melts so that it doesn't burn at the bottom. When it starts to bubble slightly it's ready to be served. Spear a piece of bread onto a skewer and enjoy. This will serve 4-6 people.
January 11 update: Eric emailed some suggestions. He says that for the recipe you can use a dry white wine such as Alsace, Jura (a really interesting vin jaune--yellow wine--made from savagnin grape that he served with sautéed frogs legs on a different evening) or Vins de Savoie. For the cheeses, he says that he also uses Comté (a mild and nutty cheese that you could use instead of gruyère), or other cheeses such as switzerland, beaufort or even muenster, combined or by themselves. He also wanted to remind me to make "figure-9s" with the wooden spoon when stirring the cheese. At the end when you have a cheesy crust at the bottom of the pot Eric says that you can add a small glass of schnapps or crack an egg and stir to combine with the cheese. I have done the egg and it makes a delicious cheesy egg scramble. I have not tried the schnapps but I will next time.
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