Warm up winter with an easy cheese or chocolate fondue

PITTSBURGH — This time of year, when it’s bitterly cold and people are socializing in their living rooms instead of decks or porches, the question might be: What’s best for a really great fondue?

If it’s been a while since you’ve enjoyed this gooey, heart-warming dish of melted cheese, we understand. Fondue has long been associated with the 1960s or ’70s, when young Boomers with bell-bottomed jeans and shag haircuts made it a chic party theme.

But what’s old is new again, says Adam Ehrlichman, a cheesemonger at Pennsylvania Macaroni Co.

With so many good international and domestic cheeses available to shoppers, interest has been growing in fun ways to serve them.

Fondue, he says, is actually the perfect dish for winter because it’s an interactive, intimate social activity that’s not just fun for everyone eating from the communal vessel but also fairly easy to prepare.

Full of familiar flavors, fondue requires just three humble ingredients to get the party started: some melty cheese, a bit of wine and chunks of day-old bread.

“And it’s easily customizable,” says Ehrlichman. “You can make it stronger or milder, or put in a funkier cheese if you like and it’s for sharing.”

While you don’t need a dedicated fondue pot — any heavy-bottomed saucepan over a double-boiler will work — you do have to maintain a consistent, low heat to melt the cheese, says Ehrlichman. For extra flavor, give it a good rub with a halved garlic clove before adding the wine, which should be a dry white.

You’ll want to add the shredded cheese slowly, a little at a time, and make sure it’s completely melted before adding the next handful.

“You can make a lot of people happy with fondue,” says Ehrlichman.

Some fon-dos and fon-don’ts

— Whether you go electric or fuel-based, choose a pot with a wide mouth to allow for easy dipping. Ceramic is best for cheese and chocolate. If you don’t have a fondue pot, no worries. Simply serve fondue in the saucepan placed on a trivet.

— Provide long-handled forks for each guest. Color-coded handles make it easy to tell which one is yours.

— Provide a variety of bite-sized dippers — bread is a given for cheese fondue, but fruit, roasted potatoes, broccoli, tiny meatballs and sausage also work well.

— Take your time, both with cooking and eating. Adding cheese too quickly will make it clump and fondue is best as a shared social experience activity.

— Fondue too thick? Increase the heat, add some wine and give it a good stir. Too thin? Combine a 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch with an equal amount of wine, and add to the pot.

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Cheese fondue

INGREDIENTS

1 garlic clove, halved

12 ounces each of 3 cheeses, shredded

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 cup dry white wine

1 tablespoon brandy

Pinch of ground nutmeg

Crusty bread, sliced vegetable or fruits, for dipping

DIRECTIONS

Prepare the pot: Rub the inside of your fondue pot with the garlic clove halves, infusing the aroma into the pot.

In a large bowl, mix the three shredded cheeses. Sprinkle cornstarch on top and gently toss until the cheese is evenly coated,

On a stovetop, in the prepared fondue pot, gently heat the white wine until it is warm but not boiling.

Gradually add cheese to the pot, stirring continuously to prevent sticking and ensure smooth melting.

Once the cheese is melted and smooth, stir in brandy. Season with a pinch of nutmeg for added warmth and flavor.

Transfer the pot to a tabletop burner to keep the fondue warm.

Serves 4-6.

— Adam Ehrlichman, Pennsylvania Macaroni Co.

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Chocolate Fondue

INGREDIENTS

12 ounces (340 grams) high-quality chocolate, chopped

1 1/3 cups heavy cream

Pinch of salt

Items for dipping, such as fresh fruit, shortbread cookies, biscotti or hunks of pound cake

DIRECTIONS

Set up a fondue pot, if you have one. If you don’t, set a heatproof rack — one that can securely hold a small heatproof bowl — over a candle or can of heating fuel (such as Sterno). Or take a pot or bowl large enough to fit a small heatproof bowl inside it and fill with boiling water; the water should reach about halfway up the outside of the small bowl once it’s set inside the pot.

Put the chocolate in your fondue pot or small heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium until steaming and bubbling around the edges. Pour over the chocolate, add salt and stir gently until smooth.

Set the chocolate over the heat source and serve immediately, with items of your choice for dipping.

— adapted from americastestkitchen.com

Tribune News Service

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