Iris and I were playing our current favorite video game, Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People and came to a part in Episode 3 (Baddest of the Bands) involving a song about a fondue pot.
“What is fondue?” asked Iris.
I explained that you melt some cheese and dip stuff in it.
“We should make fondue,” said Iris.
“There’s also chocolate fondue,” I added.
“We should make fondue TONIGHT.”
We didn’t actually make fondue that night, but we did so promptly. I was concerned about the cost of multiple cheeses and kirsch, so I was delighted when Laurie brought home Trader Joe’s fondue in a foil packet. Just melt and serve. Since I’ve never made homemade fondue and have rarely eaten fondue, I had nothing to compare it with, and I thought it was great. I didn’t think Iris would like it, though, since it was extremely cheesy and a little boozy.
Oh, but she did. We dipped roasted carrots, boiled fingerling potatoes, cubes of ham, and baguette chunks, and the fondue was fabulous. The scene looked exactly like on this website: magically floating fondue pots surrounded by a grinning, ethnically diverse crowd. Actually it was just the three of us, and we didn’t have a fondue pot, just a Pyrex bowl over a tealight. It worked fine.
Yes, I also made chocolate fondue. Nothing could be simpler: it’s just melted ganache. There was, oddly, some left over, which we ate on ice cream over the next few days.
We’re going to do fondue night again soon. What are your favorite dipping items? And should I make my own or stick with Joe’s?
I think it’s worth it to make your own. You don’t necessarily need kirsch. Brandy, cognac, or calvados would all be great depending on the recipe.
Matthew,
Did you decide no pictures because you are a writer, don’t own a camera, are lazy, or for another reason?
Just asking.
(I’d love to see Iris’s fondue forkage and little hand, even if you keep her face private.)
Pickling onions, tiny corn cobs, mushrooms.
Also, the best part of cheese fondue is where you scrape the crusted cheese off the bottom with the bread and eat it.
Fondue is our family tradition at Christmas. We like to also have a pot of hot oil for marinated meats. We make a beer batter to dip onions, mushrooms (and other items as we get creative). Enjoy!
ts, 80% lazy, 20% my camera doesn’t really work indoors. We didn’t have fondue forks, either, just regular forks and skewers.
I think it’s worth it to start from scratch, but if you’re going to buy ready-made, Trader Joe’s is the best I’ve tasted. Yes, the cheese is expensive, but we only ever buy bread and sausage for dipping, both of which are cheap! I used kirsch once and thought it was disgusting. Now I just use white wine and call it good.
This is another thing we’ve done a few times over the fire at Girl Scout camp. Obviously we had a booze-related issue there, but I think the recipe we used called for beer, white wine, or apple juice (it was like they KNEW this recipe would someday be used by Girl Scouts. Or Mormons). I think we also struggled to get actual cheese from the kitchen (instead of American), but that was kind of a constant struggle, anyway. I think there was one group of teenagers that did both cheese and chocolate in the same meal.
I like to dip raw bite-sized broccoli and cauliflower.
Along the same lines, we once had a “fry party” in college; someone bought a Fry-Daddy Jr, everyone brought something to fry, and we dipped things in on forks until thoroughly fried.
It was my group of girls at camp who did the fondue dinner one night. We did cheese & chocolate – both from scratch. If I recollect, the cheese was mainly cheddar and, like Wendy said, we used apple juice. It was great!
My favorite with the cheese was French bread. I also like cauliflower and broccoli. In chocolate, I really like strawberry & banana simultaneously. Orange bits were pretty popular as well.
Imagine, 15 teenagers and 2 counselors all crowded around 2 large pots, frantically poking food with forks and dipping it. Some girls mixed the savories with the chocolate and the fruit with the cheese.
In honor of the evening, I made the girls fondue themed shirts for the summer. That was one of our most-talked about meals ever.
As far as dipping goes I am happy with bread or maybe some small waxy potatoes but alongside the fondue I like plenty of pickled gerkins and onions and even some mild wet garlic which punch the palate and contrast the rich creamyness of the cheese.
Did you know that the crusty layer of cheese left at the bottom of the pot is called ‘la Religieuse’ in france which means ‘the nun’
hehe eat that nun, its the best bit
HI!
First time visitor here. I read your fav food is phad thai. Mine too! But where do you find a good one in Seattle or the Eastside? (Bellevue blogger here)
You should make your own – it is so worth the effort. My four year old daughter loves the stuff, so we make it often.
Hey, Nutrit, I am eating some Siam on Broadway pad thai right now. Also try May in Wallingford, the country-style from Jai Thai (inconsistent but very good when it’s good), and they probably have a good one at Noodle Boat in Issaquah. Oh, and Chantanee Family Thai restaurant in Bellevue. Also, make your own.
When I was living in Germany, one of my floormates made fondue using both white wine and kirsh. I tend to like it better with out too much alcohol. I’d rather focus on the cheese taste.
I like cherry tomatoes, blanched asparagus, gherkins, mini-sausages.
I’ve always used the mix, but I haven’t made it in a while. Not since I entered my rabid foodie stage:-)
Asparagus sounds really great. Gherkins, too.
Have you tried raclette? Same idea, but with a grill. You can do meat on it, and melt cheese underneath the grill. My mother-in-law is obsessed with it.
We went to an old school fondue party with friend’s last year. They also did a hot stone. A large flat stone that they heated in the oven for a long time, then placed it on a couple of trivets and we just put our super thing meat on it. The sizzle last for only a few minutes, but it made for good table fodder.
Cheryl, when I worked at Sur La Table in 2000 or so, Raclette was the biggest thing going.
Also, not that I am making fun of your typo, but “super thing meat” is a really funny phrase.
Isn’t there some restaurant chain with hot stones?
I still have the clipping from a 1968ish New Hampshire newspaper about the poor hunter who accidentally shot himself in the left thing. Funny is timeless except for 1990s SNL.
Isn’t everything better when you make it from scratch? I have to say, though, I’m now tempted to try the TJ version the next time I’m not up to serious cooking.
I also love Chinese fondue, though I don’t think a Pyrex bowl and tea candle would cut it since the broth has to stay hot enough to cook the meat. The best part about Chinese fondue is all the sauces you can make to dip your meat in after: bernaise, bordelaise, horseradish, dijonnaise, and anything else you can think of.
We are serious fondue-o-philes. The best version we’ve made is 2 parts aged gruyere to 1 part emmenthaler, lemon juice and kirsch (at the end). Great stuff.
A few years back, I had a mahon fondue at Ibiza Dinner Club that was outstanding, but never tried to recreate it at home.