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A romantic dip
By JANET K. KEELER, Times Staff Writer
I fell in love once over a pot of bubbling Swiss cheese. We sat close, my floor-length patchwork jeans skirt brushing the tops of his suede desert boots. Twirling metal skewers of crusty bread in hot goo, we hardly noticed the other diners, who must have wondered how we sneaked into such a nice restaurant. Our ragged appearance likely didn't engender much hope in a waitress surviving on tips. In the avocado-green 1970s, fondue was an exotic, sensual pleasure. Dipping slices of apple into wine-laced melted Gruyere was much more sophisticated than the typical college diet of four-for-a-dollar chicken pot pies. We'd heard tell of fondue parties at fancy people's houses -- was it true about wife-swapping? -- and felt the urge to experience the love of melted cheese, perhaps chocolate, too.
I think my date's name was Steve, and in hindsight, I liked the cheese more than him. He may have been a sociology major -- or was it psychology? -- and he gave a long lecture about the collective scar left on the nation by the resignation of President Nixon. Yes, yes, pass the bread, please. His whereabouts are unknown, at least to me, but fondue has come around again looking for a second chance. If you're not among the folks who've already dusted off fondue pots or dined at one of three Melting Pot restaurants in the Tampa Bay area, Valentine's Day is the perfect time for rediscovery. And if you don't have a present for your sweetie yet, consider a fondue set. Fondue is easy to make at home, and the nature of the communal pot is conducive to getting close. You will need a fondue pot, either electric or Sterno-powered. Fondue must be kept warm, otherwise the mix congeals. Plus, eating over a saucepan on the stove is not an option. One important tip: Don't double dip even if you already have a wedding ring on your finger. When you want more, get a another piece of bread or whatever you're scooping with. The evening should be memorable, but not because you've shared your cold germs. Rick Rodgers, author of Fondue: Great Food to Dip, Dunk, Savor and Swirl (William Morrow & Co., $15), says fondue fell from favor in part because high-fat melted cheese didn't make sense to Americans noshing rice cakes and whittling their waistlines in Jazzercise. Chocolate, on the other hand, has never gone out of fashion. Also, Rodgers says, many recipes called for ingredients that didn't jibe with the increasingly sophisticated U.S. palate. Too many recipes started with a can of cream of cheddar soup that seemed rather de classe as more interesting cheeses became available to shoppers. Why use a can of cheese soup when silky Gruyere or Emmenthaler tastes so much better? The high-fat concern has been remedied by one type of fondue called court bouillon, which cooks meat normally simmered in oil fondue. Court bouillon is a stock made quickly from vegetables and herbs. Using it for fondue was inspired by the "hot pot" cuisine of Asia. Fondue, though influenced by many cuisines today, is a Swiss tradition with a French name. Literally, fondre means "to melt" in French, and the French typically add butter to their cheese fondue. Swiss cow herders lived off cheese, bread and wine. In the winter, when the store of bread became stale and cheese became hard, fondue was born by melting the cheese over a fire and scooping it with the hardened bread. Which brings us to another tip. Let your food rest after dipping it into the hot fondue or you will be yodeling like an Alpine native. Fondue was introduced to the United States by soldiers returning from World War II. The most likely candidates for an intimate Valentine's Day fondue dinner are an entree of bubbly cheese and a dessert of sinful, swirling chocolate. But don't make the mistake a colleague of mine once did and simply melt chocolate bars for a strawberry bath. Cream or milk is needed to make a chocolate fondue that's smooth and won't ball up in a sticky mass. Some recipes call for marshmallows, which add a gleaming shine and make the fondue sweeter. Most recipes start with semisweet chocolate, such as baking squares or chocolate chips. Besides the obvious strawberries, consider dipping sliced bananas, pears, oranges, drained Maraschino cherries and pound- or angel-food cake pieces. The array of good melting cheeses lends different personalities to fondue. It's no surprise that wine and cheese make such tasty fondue; after all, they make a great pair at art openings and other affairs. You'll find many cheese fondue recipes that include some sort of alcohol, such as white wine and Gruyere or beer with Stilton. The alcohol dissipates with the heat, leaving the taste behind. Bread is the most common food dipped into cheese fondue, with apples also a popular choice. Sprinkle sliced apples with apple juice so they don't turn brown. You can make the fondue more hearty by adding canned, drained crab meat or even salad shrimp. According to tradition, you must drink wine with fondue. An ice-cold liquid is said to firm the melted cheese in your stomach into an undigestable ball. A crisp white wine such as chardonnay would be refreshing with most cheese fondues, as would sherry. Remember, cheese makes most wines taste better, so a less expensive variety is fine. For chocolate fondue, switch to a sparkling wine. Maybe that's what what's-his-name and I needed to perk up our long-ago fondue affair. A glass of champagne could have relaxed his Nixon rant or made me more tolerant. No matter now. Fondue is back, and I've got the right valentine to dip with. -- Information from Knight-Ridder Newspapers was used in this report.
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From the Times Taste section From the features wire |
