RV Life - Back Issues

It’s Hip to Dip

Besides being back in style, a fondue pot is a wonderful way to bring family and friends together, either in a cozy kitchen at home or in an RV on the road. Fondues came out in the ‘50s, were briefly the rage in the ‘70s, and today have returned. In fact, they are turning up at all sorts of swank spots in big cities.

Fondue—what is it exactly? In French, the verb fondue means “to melt.” And most of us think immediately of melted cheese when we think of fondue. But it can be more than that.
Fondue is a method of eating with guaranteed camaraderie—where else can you dunk and swirl bread in something that tastes so good? It is a warm and wonderful way to entertain.
Here are some fondue recipes from main dishes to desserts:

PIZZA FONDUE
1 chopped onion
1/2 pound of ground chuck
2 10-ounce cans of pizza sauce
1 tablespoon of cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons of fennel seed
l 1/2 teaspoons of oregano
10 ounces grated cheddar cheese
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Brown the onion and ground chuck, then mix in the cornstarch and pizza sauce. Add fennel seed, oregano and garlic power. Add the cheddar and mozzarella cheese one-third at a time. Dip French bread cubes into the sauce.

SWISS THREE-CHEESE FONDUE
1 garlic clove, peeled.
1 cup of dry white wine
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
8 ounces of shredded Gruyere cheese
8 ounces of shredded Emmentaler cheese
3 ounces of Appenzeller cheese, cut into small cubes
4 teaspoons of cornstarch
1 tablespoon of brandy
Nutmeg
Ground pepper

Rub the inside of a medium saucepan with garlic, and then discard the garlic. Add wine and lemon juice to the saucepan and bring to a bare simmer over medium heat. In a medium bowl, toss the three cheeses with the cornstarch. Handfuls at a time, stir the cheese mixture into the wine, stirring the first batch until it is almost completely melted before adding another. The fondue can bubble gently, but do not boil. Stir in brandy, a few gratings of fresh nutmeg and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Transfer to a cheese fondue pot and keep warm over a fondue burner. Serve immediately with dipping ingredients of your choice. Crusty mixed grain bread, French or Italian bread cubes are most popular. Other dipping ideas are cooked chicken cubes, cooked garlic sausage or knockwurst, broccoli or cauliflower florets.

To make a French Gruyere fondue, substitute an additional 11 ounces of shredded Gruyere cheese for the Emmentaler and Appenzeller cheese.

BEEF FONDUE
This is a meal in itself. Make a sour cream and horseradish sauce by combining 3/4 cup of sour cream with 2 tablespoons of prepared horseradish, 1 scallion, finely chopped, 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl; cover and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour for flavors to blend. Makes 1 cup.

On the kitchen stove over high heat, heat enough vegetable oil in a metal fondue pot to come half way up the sides until a thermometer reads 375 degrees. Transfer the pot to a fondue burner with a high flame. Allow guests to cook their meat to their own taste. Two pounds of beef tenderloin, trimmed, cut into 3/4-inch cubes is good for four to six people. Serve with sour cream and horseradish sauce.

WHITE CHOCOLATE FONDUE
Break 1 pound of white chocolate into 1-inch pieces. In a big pot over very low heat, heat the white chocolate pieces with 1/2 cup of whipping cream, stirring frequently, until the white chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Transfer to a fondue pot, sprinkle slivered toasted almonds on top. Arrange fruit on large platter for people to dip into the white chocolate fondue.

Legend has it that fondue came about during the Reformation, when the Protestant canton of Zurich was battling the surrounding Catholic cantons. Provisions were scarce, and people were hungry. One side put forth a large tub of milk; the other side contributed cheese, which was crumbled into the milk, and also brought some crusts of bread; thus, it is said, fondue was born.

As a humorist once wrote, “In a country where people eat fondue, there can be no wars.” Eating from a single pot, by dunking in pieces of bread, meat or vegetables, people cannot argue because they are concentrating on the meal at hand, relaxing, chatting and laughing between bites. The heady smell of a pungent cheese mixed with wine is intoxicating—it is delicious and warm and fun and breeds intimacy. It’s hip to dip today!

HINT OF THE MONTH: Out of lemon juice? You can substitute white vinegar unless you need the lemon flavor. Have your lemons shriveled up or become hard? Soak overnight in cold water to plump ‘em. Submerging a lemon in hot water for 15 minutes before squeezing will yield almost twice the amount of juice.