Things You Can Do With Fondue

The name fondue is of French origin, meaning "melted," but whether the French or Swiss or someone else made and served it first is not certain.

There are many kinds of fondue, each made with a different blend of cheeses, wine and seasoning, mostly depending on where it is made. For a serving of four you need a pound of cheese, a pint of white wine, a clove of garlic, two teaspoons of cornstarch, lemon juice, nutmeg and a small glass of kirsch.

Briskly rub the garlic on the inside of the caquelon, as the fondue cooking pan is called. Add the lemon juice and wine (a medium-dry table wine), and heat until it is fizzing. Premix the cornstarch in a little wine and add it now with the cheese, which has been grated. There are a variety of cheeses to choose from--ripe Gouda, Tilsiter, Gruyère or Emmentaler. Or you might combine some, like four parts of Gouda and one part of Kernhem.

Bring the whole dish to the cooking point, at the same time continually stir with a wooden spoon or wire whip until smooth and creamy. Care must be taken to get the right consistency. If only slightly thin, just let it cook a little longer. If considerably on the thin side, add more cheese or whip in a little cornstarch that is first mixed in a little wine. The cornstarch will bind it together. On the other hand, if too thick, add a little warm wine. Finally, with the consistency right, season with pepper, nutmeg and a dash of kirsch, and transfer it to the center of the table, placing it over an alcohol lamp to keep it hot.

Here you have a complete meal, needing no entrée and no dessert. Each person is given a special fondue fork on which small bite-size pieces of French or brown bread or toast are placed. After dipping and twisting until drip free, one has a mouth-watering morsel that is a real treat. If during the feast the fondue thickens, add a little hot wine. Should it curdle, return it to the stove and whip in a little lemon juice or vinegar.

There are many variations on this fondue theme. For example, use curry or paprika instead of pepper. Or season with mustard, cumin, dill or basil, even use various spices to suit your taste and fancy. If there are side dishes of cooked mushrooms, small meatballs, shrimp or olives, these can be dunked along with the bread. Side dishes of lettuce, celery, carrot sticks or other fresh vegetables are enjoyable and help to heighten interest in the fondue centerpiece.