A New, Cheesy Obsession

Sometime in the 70's a delicious fad called fondue hit the United States from Switzerland. Melted cheese in a pot to dip things in? I really don't know why it took so long. The fad didn't so much take hold in my house growing up, we never had it, so it took even longer to reach me. If you know me or have ever read this blog, you know how much I love cheese. A lot, a lot, a lot. How was it possible that it took 25 years for me to have the fondue experience? The best meal Dan and I during our weekend trip to New York City last January was at Artisanal Bistro - a fromagerie dressed up as a restaurant. They served a classic fondue with assorted dipping-sides (we opted beef, apples, bread and crudites, I think) in a big Le Creuset over a flame right at the table. It was heaven.

Ever since that first dip of ooey-gooey gruyere, I have been wanting to test out it myself. Our friends Sarah and Steve recently became engaged and when we invited them over for a celebratory dinner last Friday night I found my first excellent opportunity. While digging through this cookbook (which, despite its dorky wedding theme, is a thoroughly awesome collection of recipes), I came upon, what felt like, divine inspiration: a brie and champagne fondue! How decadent and perfect for the occasion, since we'd be serving champagne anyway to toast their upcoming wedding. Confession: I actually ordered a brand new fondue set just to make this, but its a really nice one and it was on sale and now that I'm hooked on the concept I'm sure to use it again and again. Of all the many, many appliances and strange household doodads we got as wedding gifts (thanks, everyone), we didn't manage to snag a fondue set - a little too retro perhaps in 2008? If gooey melted cheese in a big pot to share is retro then I don't want to be modern.

Its always a bit nerve-wracking to make something for the first time right before having company over. What if the cheese congeals or is too runny or burned or it just isn't very good? I went for it anyway, and kept a couple easy, throw-together apps on the sidelines, just in case. That's a usual trick of mine; plan to make something new or challenging but keep a "cheater" substitute in the background in case things go downhill. Like, I always have a boxed brownie mix or a tube of cookie dough on hand when I'm baking an intermediate-to-advanced level dessert (see The Great Angel Food Cake Disaster of '07). I'm a big on having a Plan B, and often C. In life, not just the kitchen.

Glory of glories, the fondue came out gob-smackingly perfect. Not to sound proud, because it wasn't so much my doing as the result of an excellent recipe and, frankly, cheese speaks for itself. I can't take the credit. It ended up being very quick and easy, now that I've done it once I wouldn't hesitate to make it again. A few parts were a smidge worrisome at first; cutting the rind off a brie was much more labor intensive than anticipated. It kept gooing together and absorbing bits of rind as I slice around it and didn't cut up nicely into pieces, more like blobs. Also, when adding the cheese to the simmering champagne, the trick is to keep it hot so it will melt, but not too hot because the dairy and the oils will begin to separate. Once that happens, there is no repair. I kept the burner on low and would occasionally turn it off altogether for a few short intervals to mellow out the heat if it started to get carried away. And whisk, whisk, whisk, I cannot stress this enough - just keep whisking. And voila!

Testing the pot. Just about perfect.

Dan poses as my fondue model.

The full spread: apples, bread and mushrooms.

The fondue was the main event, but I decided against grilling steak tips for dipping thus making it the full-on meal. Instead, I made individual pot pies (from the same cookbook) with every one's initials cut-out in pie crust dough. The cut-outs were not thick enough so the letters didn't pop on the pies as much as I would have liked. Since it was an engagement celebration dinner I got super corny and made Sarah and Steve's read "S+S" and mine and Dan's read"C+D".

Personalized chicken pot-pies.

Dinner is served.

Yep, just another domestic weekend of cooking and baking and hosting. Its my favorite way to relax and de-lawyerize and so worth it when we're having friends over to enjoy everything with. At the risk of violating copyright laws, I can't resist sharing the fondue recipe, because I think everyone should try it out for a special, fun occasion - its beyond amazing, this can't be over-emphasized.

Brie & Champagne Fondue

• 2 Tb olive oil
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1 3/4 - 2 cups champagne
• 1.25 lbs brie, rind removed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 lb grated Swiss or Emmantaler cheese (I actually used 1/2 lb swiss, and 1/2 lb emmantaler because I like the nutty sharpness of a full swiss but the emmantaler is so much more mild and I wanted the balance - but either on its own would be fine, the brie and champagne flavors take over for the most part)
• 2- 3 TB of corn starch (the recipe calls for 2 TB, but I ended up needing to add another one to get it to the right consistency)
• Freshly ground salt, pepper and nutmeg, to taste
  

Combine the cheese in a large bowl and toss with the corn starch. Heat the oil in a large, cast iron stock pot (like a Le Creuset) and cook the garlic until just browned and very aromatic, then add in the champagne and bring to a simmer. Slowly add the cheese, about a hand full at a time, whisking continuously until all the cheese has melted before adding more. Be sure not to let the mixture get too hot or the cheese will separate, but it keep it hot enough that it melts and doesn't clump. Once all the cheese is melted in, keep whisking on a low heat until at the desired consistency (the cheese should cling to a piece of bread, gooing off the sides). Flavor with freshly ground salt, pepper and a pinch or two of nutmeg.

I added a little extra champagne and ended up needing to whisk in an extra table spoon of corn starch. I also threw in about a handful or two of grated Havarti that I happened to have in the fridge, because I was concerned it wasn't thick enough. Havarti is buttery and mild so I don't think it detracted from the main flavors at all and probably enhanced the overall tone - this isn't part of the recipe, but ended up being a welcome addition.

For dipping, I cut up apple slices (and tossed in lemon juice so they wouldn't brown), roasted mushrooms (which I hate, but others love), and bread cubes. I found the greatest bread for this at Panera - its the French Miche, its a super-dense peasant loaf and is perfect for cubing and fondue because its thick that it doesn't disintegrate under the weight of the cheese and forks stick right into it. The problem is that the fondue is so decadant (and a little expensive, all that cheese and champagne adds up) that I won't be able to make this that often and I'm already longing for it again. It also makes a ton (and I added a little extra champagne and cheese so mine was extra big) and was way too much for four people, despite the fact that we all ate so much we were practically sick - I still had to throw out a lot of it. So sad to see good cheese go bad. Next time, I'll make it for a group of 6 to 8 people, maybe in the winter - combined with the pot pies, it was not the most summery dinner.

Thus concludes my latest culinary adventure. The firms' summer associates' (who I have come to really enjoy) last day is on Friday so I'd like to bake cupcakes or something to bring in in their honor. Our fresh mint plant is growing like a weed so I might make a mojito cupcake recipe to use some of it up. If mojitos are my favorite drink, I see no reason that won't translate into cupcakes - one of my other favorite things.