I’ve got a lot of cheese in the fridge. Not just the usual cheese, although I’ve got some of that, too. But mostly what I’ve got is some truly amazing cheese. A Grana Padano that I can’t get enough of. A triangle of blue cheese. A log of goat cheese. A block of manchego. Some Brie, Fontina, and Robiola left over from a wine tasting. So much cheese.
The rule of buying cheese is that you should only buy what you will eat within a week. As a living breathing thing, cheese doesn’t take very well to just hanging around in your fridge, so after a bit unpleasant things begin to happen - flavors change, molds grow and your once soft, sweet blue cheese becomes a pungent beast that you can smell as soon as you open the refrigerator door.
It’s time to make fondue.
Fondue is a fantastic vehicle for using those random bits of cheese lurking in your fridge. Although most recipes insist that true fondue must be made with Gruyere, fondue was created as a way to use up aging cheese and stale bread, and any cheese you’ve got on hand will work just fine.
Fondue is fancy
Making fondue feels like a special occasion - mostly reserved for things like New Year’s Eve. It’s also a social event, and I think this is where the magic happens. Fondue is just fun and people love it, so shouldn’t we all be making it more often? It comes together quickly and doesn’t really require any special equipment. It’s perfect for a casual get-together.
What about the fondue pot?
A fondue pot is the quintessential fondue tool but it’s also totally optional. You can melt the cheese on the stove and pour it into any warm vessel.
You will also need forks or skewers, but again special equipment is not required. Any fork will work.
Plan for two to four people per pot of cheese. Any more than that crowds the pot with too many forks and things will get messy.
What do you fondue?
Toasted chunks of bread are the best thing to dip into fondue but there are lots of options. Some ideas:
Roasted baby potatoes
Apple and pear slices
Broccoli and cauliflower - blanch these in hot water for a few minutes to take away the bitterness
Roasted Brussels sprouts
Pickles
Shrimp
Red and Green Bell pepper strips
Pretzels and crackers
Carrot sticks
Pita chips
Fondue it the right way.
There are a few rules about eating fondue:
Use the skewer or fork to stir clockwise or in a figure 8 pattern to keep the cheese well blended.
Twirl the cheese around your cube of bread to collect the drips and loose strands of cheese. It will prevent the cheese from dripping on the table.
No tapping or scraping the bread on the edge of the cheese vessel. It just drops bread crumbs back into the fondue.
No double-dipping.
Don’t put the fork directly into your mouth. Slide the dipped food off onto a plate and use a different fork to eat it.
Drink white wine with your fondue. The acidity in the wine cuts the heaviness of the cheese.
To get you started, I’ve included a fun fondue recipe that uses all of the bits of cheese in your fridge and is served in a toasted sourdough boule. I hope you invite a few people over and give it a swirl.
Cheers -
Chelly
TheGoodFoodProject.co
