Do you fondue?
It was a chilly night and my kids wanted to cook with me. Their only requirement was it had to be “warm food.” I was getting tired of cooking soup, so I decided it was time to teach them about fondue. First I explained what it is: a communal (sauce-like) dish shared at the table in a pot over a small burner. The word itself comes from the French fondre, “to melt.”
The most popular fondue is made with melted cheese, so I decided to consult the experts at my favorite cheese store for a good cheese fondue recipe.
My kids and I took a field trip to the cheese shop to ask for a recipe for fondue and for their cheese recommendations. They were eager to share their recipe and also gave us a sample of every cheese in the ingredient list — of course we loved that! We bought the cheese at the shop and went home to try our hands at fondue.
When cooking with young chefs, let them grate the cheese. They may get tired of it before it’s all done, so have the food processor ready (with the grating blade) for the remainder of the cheese shredding. They can also mix the cornstarch and cider together. Ask them if it looks/feels like a liquid or solid. In science class, this mixture is sometimes called oobleck, or quicksand — and is both a liquid and a solid (or non-Newtonian liquid). My kids wanted to play with this mixture for a while, so I made another bowl of cornstarch and water for them to experiment with. Use a 2:1 cornstarch-to-water ratio. My son liked to add his action figures to the mix and watch them sink into the “quicksand.”
An older chef (10 and older) can simmer the stock on the stove and carefully add the cheese. Add it slowly so that it does not clump. Do not let it boil because the cheese will clump together and will not melt again! Also, continually stir the mixture as you add the cheese.
When you are ready for the final step (adding the cornstarch mixture to the cheese and stock), have the fondue pot ready (turn on the heat source). Pour the mix into the fondue pot. Serve immediately with bread, fruit, and vegetables. Dip each piece into the warm cheese, but be careful, the cheese will be hot when it first comes out of the pot.
Premier Cheese Shop fondue
½ pound Emmental, grated
½ pound Gruyere, grated
¼ pound Appenzeller, Hoch Ybrig, or Wildspitz, grated
1 clove garlic, peeled of outer shell
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons apple cider
1 cup chicken (or vegetable) stock
Dash of white pepper
Dash of nutmeg or allspice
1 loaf of crusty bread, cut into ½-inch pieces
Carrot, peeled and cut into small sticks
Celery, cut into small sticks
Apples, cored and sliced
You can substitute kirsch for the cider and dry white wine for the stock if making it for grown-ups.
Rub inside of saucepot with garlic clove. Stir cider and cornstarch together in a small bowl. Pour stock into saucepot and bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Add grated cheese gradually, stirring until creamy. Add cornstarch mixture and spices, bring mix to a simmer, and stir until thickened. Do not boil. Transfer to warm fondue pot.
Looking for a fondue pot? Here is a great option found on Amazon:
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