Fondue time!

Members of our Wine of the Month Club get different specials each month.  If you are a member of our WOM club you get 10% off of Emmental, Appenzeller, and Gruyere this month!

CHEESE FONDUE
Contrary to what some may think, cheese fondue was not invented in the 1970’s in an avocado green pot! Combining wine, melted cheese and flour, and dunking hunks of bread into it, was first described by the Greek poet Homer in the Iliad. However, cheese fondue, as we know it today, originated in the Alps. Cheese and bread were made in the summer and fall to last through the frigid and snowy mountainous winters. As the cheese and bread aged, they naturally became dry and very hard. Melting the cheese with wine and flour in a pot (perhaps with some dried herbs), and swirling stale bread in it, made a delicious and nutritious meal throughout the long winter.  Serves 4

Fondue recipe
16 oz of cheese - Emmental, Appenzeller and Gruyere.  Any mix of these three works well.
2 Tbls. flour or cornstarch
1 clove garlic, halved
1 ½ cups dry white wine such as Picpoul de Pinet
2 Tbls. Kirsch (cherry liqueur-available at TWCP)
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. nutmeg
Cubed crusty breads (French, Italian, rye, sourdough)

Dice or shred the cheeses. Rub the two cut halves of garlic around the sides and bottom of the fondue pot; discard the clove. In a bowl, add the flour or cornstarch to the cheeses and mix to coat. Place pot on a stove burner set on medium-low, and heat the wine. Add the cheeses a little at a time, constantly stirring in a figure-eight pattern (so the cheese doesn’t form a ball) until the cheeses are melted and hot. Do not simmer or boil the mixture! Stir in the Kirsch, pepper and nutmeg, and place pot in a stand over a flame to serve.

Some tips on cooking and serving fondue:
** The crust of cheese left at the bottom of the pot is considered a delicacy ~ enjoy!
** Do not put water into fondue. If it is too thick, add more wine.
** Don’t use a non-alcoholic substitute for the wine; alcohol inhibits the cheese from curdling.
** If you don’t have a fondue pot, a crockpot can be used for serving. However, use a pot on the stove to make the fondue.
**Besides bread cubes, the following bite-sized pieces are delicious dipped in fondue: cooked chicken, ham or sausage; cooked broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes and/or asparagus; and tart apples such as Granny Smith.


What to drink with fondue?
Pierre Boniface Vin Savoie Apremont