Allyson Gofton - Fondue Fun

I always think of a fondue as a rich cheese soup – lots of cheese melted to an unctuous state of molten-ness with wine or beer. It is delicious , and rather sinfully rich, but in winter it is a fun thing to have with friends. Oh! and if you drop you dipper into the fondue – you have to kiss the person that gets it out for you! Well that’s what we had to do on our Swiss tour Circa 1980!

Fondue Tips:
Traditionally fondues are made by heating wine and stirring in the cheese, however this is not as easy as it sounds and if the temperature is too hot, or if it is stirred too much the protein can become de-natured and the grated cheese it will form a large solid mass.  To avoid this , I make a wine sauce with a roux and then add the cheese. The starch will act like an insurance policy to help prevent this happening.  Should your cheese form a ball in the fondue and not melt – take it out, cool, squeeze out the whey-like moisture , slice and grill on toast. You’ll need to start again.


Recipe:
Swiss Fondue

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 8

Ingredients:
1½ tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, crushed and peeled
1½ tablespoons flour
1½ cups dry white wine
750 grams grated Emmental cheese or a mix of Emmental and Gruyere

Method:

1. Heat the butter and garlic together in a large saucepan until very fragrant, discard the garlic and stir in the flour and cook for a minute or until frothy.
   
2. Stir in the wine and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring regularly for 2-3 minutes. Gently stir in one-third of the cheese and when melted add the remaining cheese. Do not over stir as this can cause the cheese to form a ball. When hot transfer to a fondue or serving container and serve quickly.
   
3. Classically a fondue is served with pieces of crusty bread, that having been pierced on the end of a fondue fork and then dunked into the cheese sauce before being devoured. But go wild and try one of the dipping ideas, have a selection of extra sauces and flavourings to roll the melted cheese coated bread chunks in.

Cooks Tips:
Traditionally fondues are made by heating wine and stirring in the cheese, however this is not as easy as it sounds and if the temperature is too hot, or if it is stirred too much the protein can become de-natured and the grated cheese will form a large solid mass. To avoid this, I make a wine sauce with a roux and then add the cheese. The starch will act like an insurance policy to help prevent this happening. Should your cheese form a ball in the fondue and not melt - take it out, cool, squeeze out the whey-like moisture, slice and grill on toast. You'll need to start again.

Beyond bread - dipper ideas to accompany:

• Risotto balls, crumbled and deep fried, rather wonderful
• Baked or grilled winter vegetables; a touch more healthy (mmm…)
• Prawns or scallops on skewers, panfried in garlic butter, delicious
• Apple and pear wedges; a refreshing dipper
• Bacon or pancetta wrapped and grilled baby mushrooms; seriously yummy

Flavourings:
Arrange in small bowls extra sauces or spice mixes to dip and dunk with; like pestos, pastes, dukka, diced olives, chillies, nuts and/or herbs

Allyson's tip:
If the fondue gets too cool, warm for 30-45 seconds in the microwave or alternatively set over a small flame like a candle. Classic fondue sets have an alcohol burner underneath the pot which you light and adjust to set the temperature required.