Culinary adventures: Fondue makes for fun game-day feasting
The saying "everything old is new again" certainly applies to fondue.
What used to be a date night treat in my younger days is now a tradition for my entire family. We enjoy dipping cubes of bread into gooey cheese during family dinners and sharing the bubbly goodness with friends at parties. Who doesn't like bread and melted cheese?
Fondue comes from the French fondre, meaning "to melt," and dates back to 18th century Switzerland as a way to use aged cheeses and breads to feed families who had limited access to fresh foods during the winter time. Families would gather around the hearth where they would heat wine, cheese, garlic and herbs in a single pot. Since bread was not baked daily, stale bread was readily available and would soften slightly when dipped in the warm cheesy mixture. This way of cooking together in one pot and eating by a warm cozy fire became the Swiss winter tradition known as fondue, and according to a good friend of mine from Switzerland, is a meal still shared among friends after skiing, sledding, or as an excuse to simply get together.
During the 1930s the popularity of fondue grew due to a campaign by the Swiss Cheese Union, designed to increase Swiss cheese consumption in Switzerland, but the trend did not reach the United States until the 1964 New York World's Fair when fondue was featured at the Swiss Pavilion's Alpine Restaurant as Switzerland's national dish.
We are fortunate to have access to many types of fondue varieties like oil or broth, for cooking main course items like meats, seafood, poultry and vegetables, and the decadent chocolate with dippers like strawberries, bananas, cherries and marshmallows. I will admit to my family's fondness for a nonconventional pizza fondue: a combination of marinara sauce and shredded mozzarella with bread, pepperoni and other favorite pizza topping dippers. My kids love it!
Over the year we've given our own spin to the classic cheese fondue. Substitute beer for wine and add cheddar cheese and you get what family fondly refers to as Packer food. We've combined roasted jalapeños, chopped tomato, Monterey Jack cheese and a splash of tequila to give fondue a Mexican spin.
My Swiss friend shared that fondue recipes differ from family to family, region to region, even in Switzerland, so don't be afraid to customize your melted pot of goodness.
My favorite fondue, one that I've used time and time again, calls for equal parts imported grated Emmentaler Swiss and Swiss Gruyere cheese; both are rich and nutty in flavor. I add a little cornstarch to the grated cheese. While some will see this addition as sacrilege, I find the cornstarch gives the fondue a more creamy texture, something we like. I finish it with in a little cherry brandy, dry mustard and nutmeg. We like to dip bread; dense and slightly stale is best as it won't fall apart in the cheese, and sometimes add apples chunks, broccoli, cauliflower and carrot pieces to the list of dippers. At the suggestion of my friend, we'll be adding roasted potatoes to our next fondue fete.
My friend wanted me to be sure to stress one last point: just when you think you may not have enough cheese left in your fondue pot to coat the last bread cube, don't give up on it. Some consider the crust left on the bottom of the pot to be the best part of a fondue. Called la croute, that crusty cheese is considered a delicacy. While the pot is still warm, gently loosen the crust and divide it among your guests for a chewy treat believed to bring good luck, especially if eaten on New Year's Eve.
I, for one, am glad the Swiss developed this communal culinary tradition. My family finds it the perfect addition to almost any occasion. Be it be an intimate gathering or big party, everyone likes to gather around a fondue pot to talk and dip their favorite item into the bubbly goodness.
•Penny Kazmier, a wife and mother of four from South Barrington, won the 2011 Daily Herald Cook of the Week Challenge.