love, love me 'due

on valentine's day Dan and I made a chocolate pecan pie for dessert, and decided to put the fondue and fondue fixings on hold.  too much chocolate and too much richness for one day.

instead we made the fondue this past Monday.  not too shabby for a monday, if you ask me.  we ate it with bananas, strawberries, amaretto injected strawberries, walnuts and an apple. sounds like a lot, but once you start dipping you just get curious about flavor combinations. let the dipping begin! 


Chocolate Fondue
1 pound of  semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, well chopped or chips
1 1/2 cups of organic heavy cream


For dipping (really, anything is delicious dipped in chocolate goodness):
strawberries
bananas
marshmallows
graham crackers
apples
nuts
cake?


Set aside the chocolate. Pour the cream into a medium, thick-bottomed saucepan (or double boiler if you have one) over low heat. Bring the cream to a simmer and add the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is melted.


Transfer the chocolate to a fondue pot and enjoy.

fond of you

The coming of the new year called for something extra special, so Dan and I brought 2009 to a close with a little experiment in cheese fondue.  It was great, but next time we'd involve more people, 8-10 servings of cheese fondue is just too much for two people to handle. fondue party anyone??

CHEESE FONDUE

Ingredients (Serves 8 to 10)
1 tbsp. butter
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup white onion, chopped finely
1 1/2 cups apple cider or dry white wine
1 cup Gruyere cheese, grated
1/2 cup Smoked Gruyere cheese, grated
2 cups cheddar, grated
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice or milk
1 tbsp. cornstarch
Freshly grated nutmeg
Freshly ground white pepper
salt to taste
1 loaf French bread, cut into one-inch cubes
Assorted pickled vegetables, such as cornichons, pearl onions, cauliflower, baby carrots, and mushrooms

In a saucepan, melt butter and saute onion and garlic until translucent. Pour cider or wine into pot, and place over medium-low heat. When liquid starts to bubble, start adding cheeses by the handful, stirring until melted and combined.

Whisk together lemon juice (or milk) and cornstarch in a small bowl until cornstarch dissolves; stir into cheese mixture. Continue stirring until mixture is smooth and bubbling slightly, about five minutes. Season with nutmeg, pepper and salt.

Transfer fondue into fondue pot at the table, and keep warm over the fondue pot warmer. Serve with bread and pickled vegetables.