Go ahead, take a dip

Bread, cheese and wine. The sacred trio works great for summertime picnics, but what about the cold, dark days of winter? In winter, the members of the trio join to become fondue. Fondue, which in French means “melted,” is a very old culinary tradition from the Swiss, who know all about staying warm when it’s bitter outside. In fondue’s original form, bread chunks were dipped in a sauce made of melted cheese and dry white wine. The French-speaking area of Switzerland is where fondue originated, but each region of Switzerland claims its own version of the cheesy dish in the same way that barbecue sauce and clam chowder vary in the U.S.

In the U.S., fondue saw a revival in the 1960s and ‘70s. Cheese and wine sauces were popular then, but so were dessert fondues. Chunks of cake or cookies, bananas, apples, strawberries, and oranges all took a dunking in hot, sweet chocolate or butterscotch sauce, probably so sweet it made the teeth ache.

More recently, Sunset Magazine pronounced fondue “revived” again in 2000. Unfortunately, this popular magazine completely skipped the traditional version in favor of a trendier seafood bouillabaisse fondue recipe. Delicious, yes, but so complex and pricey that it could only have discouraged people from eating this classic food on a regular basis.

Fondue doesn’t have to be bad for you, expensive or time-consuming. Best of all, it’s the epitome of cozy. A few minutes of prep and cooking on the stove and you’re ready to gather around a flame-warmed pot for dinner.

Fondue sounds like a party, but it was conceived as a meal, said Nancy Holmes of Moscow, Idaho. “For us, it was dinner.”

Holmes’ Californian father, Ken Medlin, met her Swiss mother, Betty, when he was in Geneva for graduate school. Her parents moved back to the United States when he was finished with his schooling, but Holmes said her family spent many sabbaticals in Switzerland through the years. “That’s where I learned to love fondue,” she said.

“It doesn’t take much fondue to fill you up,” Holmes said. “When I was growing up, if we had company, perhaps we’d also have a fruit salad after the fondue but nothing else.”

In Switzerland they’d have fondue once a month in winter, and now in the U.S. she and her mother fix fondue several times a year. But again, only in winter. “We had our first one this year in early December,” she said. “We’d never dream of having fondue in summer.”

According to the legend related by her beloved Oncle René, three poor Swiss peasants were stuck in a chalet one blizzardy night. The pickings were lean: one had wine, one had stale bread, one had hard cheese. They made the best of a bad situation, and voila! Fondue was born.

“Apparently they used sticks or something to spear the bread,” Holmes said. “Its origins are always humble. Poor watchmakers, or poor shepherds or peasants are always in the story.”

Fondue here isn’t a poor man’s meal to the extent it is in Europe, Holmes noted, because for authenticity she relies on expensive imported cheese. Gruyére is the main ingredient at $9 to $12 a pound.

While Holmes enjoys the traditional version and has created it on many special occasions, she isn’t afraid to experiment. She’s created a wine-free recipe for her children, who don’t care for the wine taste of traditional fondue.

“I make a white sauce with milk, butter and a little flour and then melt the cheese into that instead of wine, with some pepper and mustard,” she said. “We usually have two fondue pots, one for the grown-ups and one for the kids.”

Holmes finds chocolate fondue too sweet, but she did enjoy Fondue Chinoise (Chinese-style) in Leysin, Switzerland “a very healthy sort of meal” in which thinly sliced pieces of meat are dipped briefly to cook in hot broth. She has also had Fondue Bourguignonne, in which thinly sliced vegetables and meat are cooked in hot oil.

Technically, neither of these variations is a fondue in the melted sense, but they feel like fondue to Holmes and that’s what matters. “It’s a communal thing, having one central dish with everyone dipping into it,” Holmes said.

“The first time I made this by myself I was a sophomore in college. My roommate’s parents were coming, so I thought I’d impress them and make fondue. I called my mom, and she walked me through it step by step. It was beautiful, a major big deal. Then, they showed up, and said, ‘Oh, we don’t eat cheese.’ That was when I found out you could put it in the fridge and it would be fine reheated the next day.

“I’ve never had a flop with this, my mother’s recipe,” Holmes said.” If you do have a moment of panic when the glob of cheese appears, don’t worry, it’ll work itself out and if not, you can always fix it with wine or cornstarch.”

Two-person fondue

1/2 pound cheese, grated (some combination of Gruyère with Emmentaler or Appenzeller)

6 ounces dry white wine (avoid sweet wines)

1 tablespoon of cornstarch

1 clove garlic, peeled

1 baguette or other French bread

Slice the bread into bite-size chunks. (It is helpful to arrange it so each piece of bread has some crust attached, to help it stay on the fondue fork.) Set up the fondue burner, napkins, bread and forks at the table.

Smash the clove of garlic and rub it around the inside bottom and sides of fondue pot, leaving the garlic in the pot when done. Pour in the wine and heat until lukewarm. Stir in the grated cheese, stirring until it is melted. Then, use another 1/4 cup of wine and mix the cornstarch into it and add that mixture into the cheese, continually stirring. The mixture globs together and then “magically” becomes uniform and creamy in texture as it comes to a slow boil.

Have someone else light the burner while you’re stirring. When all is ready, ceremoniously carry the steaming, bubbling pot of fondue to the burner on the table, and eat.

Yield: 2 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 597 calories, 35 grams fat (21 grams saturated, 54 percent fat calories), 34 grams protein, 20 grams carbohydrate, 114 milligrams cholesterol, 1.5 grams dietary fiber, 447 milligrams sodium.

Porcini Fondue with Ham and Ciabatta

From Bon Appétit, December 2004

1 cup hot water

1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon plus 1 1/4 cups sauvignon blanc or other dry white wine

2 teaspoons cornstarch

8 ounces coarsely grated Gruyère cheese (about 2 packed cups)

8 ounces coarsely grated Emmentaler cheese (about 2 packed cups)

1 (1-pound) loaf ciabatta or other rustic bread, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 pounds 1/4-inch-thick ham slices, cut into 1-inch pieces

Place 1 cup hot water in small bowl; add dried porcini mushroons. Let stand until mushrooms are soft, about 25 minutes. Remove mushrooms from water with slotted spoon; finely chop. Transfer soaking liquid to large skillet, leaving sediment behind. Add garlic and chopped mushrooms. Simmer over medium heat until almost all liquid is absorbed, about 4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Place fondue pot onto stand; light candle or Sterno. Mix 1 tablespoon wine and cornstarch in small bowl. Bring remaining 1 1/4 cups wine to simmer in large, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add cheeses by small handfuls, stirring until melted. Add cornstarch mixture. Bring to simmer. Stir until fondue thickens slightly and begins to bubble, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with pepper.

Pour fondue into prepared pot. Swirl in porcini mushrooms. Serve with ciabatta and ham for dipping.

Yield: 6 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 633 calories, 30 grams fat (16 grams saturated, 44 percent fat calories), 55 grams protein, 24 grams carbohydrate, 138 milligrams cholesterol, 1.8 grams dietary fiber, 1,956 milligrams sodium.

Creamy Veggie Fondue

This very well-reviewed recipe comes from allrecipes.com. Adjust amount of milk or wine to make it thicker or thinner to your taste. It was submitted by Al P., who says: “This is my spin on a popular creamy cheese fondue. Have fun with it and incorporate the cheeses and veggies you like. Serve with veggies and breadsticks.”

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup white wine

1 (8-ounce) package shredded cheddar cheese

1 (8-ounce) package shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1/4 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1 teaspoon ground dry mustard

1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, mix together milk, white wine, cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese and cream cheese. Cook, stirring frequently, until melted, about 10 minutes.

Stir in green onions, spinach, dry mustard, cayenne pepper, garlic powder and black pepper. Continue cooking until all ingredients are well blended, about 10 minutes.

Transfer mixture to a double boiler or fondue pot to keep warm while serving.

Yield: 4 cups

Approximate nutrition per 2-ounce serving: 178 calories, 15 grams fat (9 grams saturated, 76 percent fat calories), 9 grams protein, 1 gram carbohydrate, 45 milligrams cholesterol, less than 1 gram dietary fiber, 226 milligrams sodium.

Not many people have three fondue pots at home. But maybe you have some fondue-pot- owning friends, who’d like to join you for this extra-special dessert fondue. Note that the recipe doesn’t specify which sweetness of chocolate to use. I’d suggest starting with bittersweet, which is less sweet than semisweet. The garnishes for dipping will be plenty sugary enough, and if not, you can always add some sugar to the fondue to suit your taste.

Chocolate Fondue Three Ways

Recipe Courtesy of Emeril Lagasse, on foodnetwork.com3 pounds high-quality chocolate, finely chopped

2 1/4 cups heavy cream

Splash of Creme de Mint

Splash of Nocello

Splash of Grand Marnier

Garnishes:

Pound cake, cut into bite-size pieces

Shortbread cookies

Biscotti

Coconut macaroons

Large strawberries with stems

Bananas

Place 1 pound of chocolate into each of three fondue pots. Turn the pot settings to medium or 5. In a saucepan, heat the cream. When the cream comes to a simmer, remove from the heat and pour 1/3 over each pot of chocolate. Whisk each pot until smooth. Splash a different liquor into each pot and whisk until smooth. Serve the fondues with the various garnishes.

Yield: 12 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: Unable to calculate due to recipe variables.

Cider Cheese Fondue

A cider-lover’s variation on the classic fondue, from allrecipes.com. It was submitted by Kim Marie Van Rheenen, who wrote: “Cheese lovers are sure to enjoy dipping into this creamy quick-to-fix fondue that has just a hint of apple. You can also serve this appetizer with apple or pear wedges.”

3/4 cup apple cider or apple juice

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 (1 pound) loaf French bread, cubed

In a large saucepan, bring cider to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Toss the cheeses with cornstarch and pepper; stir into cider. Cook and stir for 3-4 minutes or until cheese is melted. Transfer to a small ceramic fondue pot or slow cooker; keep warm. Serve with bread cubes.

Yield: 10 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 260 calories, 12 grams fat (7 grams saturated, 41 percent fat calories), 13 grams protein, 25 grams carbohydrate, 33 milligrams cholesterol, 1 gram dietary fiber, 448 milligrams sodium.