Fondue for Four: Made Without Alcohol or a Fondue Pot

 

   I had fondue once before: a time my dad decided to take my sister and me out for a treat.  I all can say is that this fondue I made today was so much tastier. I really enjoyed the taste of fresh, homemade bread melding with a creamy brie without the weird taste of alcohol.

   Fondue is delicious.  It's stuff dipped in cheese, after all.  But if you thought that there wasn't anyway it could go wrong, than you were in fact wrong.  

   No, you can't just melt cheese and dip bread in it. You have to make sure that you add corn starch to the room temperature cheese and slowly melt it over low heat in a saucepan rubbed with garlic. Then, you have to add at blend of milk, lemon juice, and seasonings.  The exact amounts don't matter that much, though, and it largely depends on your tastes. You can use dry wine instead of the milk and lemon juice if you want.

   You're supposed to transfer the cheese mixture to a fondue pot after melting it, but I didn't want to invest in one (and I actually bought one at a yard sale last summer for two dollars but I lost it :( ).  What stops a lot of people from making fondue at home is their lack of a fondue pot, but in actuality they can use a simple saucepan or hot pot.  Making fondue at home is really simple and allows you to enjoy a fun meal without paying a lot of money at a fancy restaurant. The thing about fondue pots is that they can keep the cheese melted for a long time.  If you use a saucepan, you have to reheat the cheese a couple of times, but if you have a hot pot, you just need to turn it on to a really low heat and turn it off when the cheese is melted again.

   

   For the dippers I used fresh whole-wheat bread (made in a bread machine and enhanced with herbs, flax, oats, and sesame seeds), raw juilienned carrots, and blanched baby bella mushrooms and broccoli. You can also use sausage, deli meat, other bread and veggies, or even cubes of cheese if you really like cheese (that would be interesting.) 

   And of course, to end a fondue meal, you need chocolate fondue for dessert.  I just melted some semisweet chocolate and dipped strawberries in it. Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Brie Fondue without Alcohol

makes about 4 servings

Ingredients

9 oz brie cheese, room temperature and cubed

1 tbs corn starch

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 to 2 tbs lemon juice

about 1 cup of milk

2 tbs green onions, chopped

a pinch of nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Mix the brie with the corn starch until combined.
2. Slice the garlic clove in half and rub both halves on a small saucepan, and if you're using it, a hot pot or fondue pot.  
3. Place the cheese into the saucepan and stir over low heat until melted.  Add lemon juice and milk and stir until well combined and smooth.  Then add the green onions, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Add more milk if the mixture is too hard.
4. Transfer to hot pot or fondue pot if you have one.  When the cheese starts to cool, reheat it over low heat and stir.
5. Use the fondue to dip bread (recipe below), veggies, and deli meats.  

Delicious 100% Whole Wheat Bread for the Bread Machine

makes one medium sized loaf

based on recipe byKing Arthur Flour

Ingredients

1-1/4 cup water, room temperature

2 tbs vegetable or olive oil

1/4 cup honey or maple syrup

3 cups whole wheat flour 

1 tbs vital wheat gluten

1/4 cup flax seeds

1/4 cup uncooked oatmeal

1-1/2 tsp salt

1-1/2 tsp instant or active dry yeast

1 tbs black sesame seeds (optional)

1/4 tsp thyme (optional)

1/4 tsp rosemary (optional)

Directions

1. For bread machine: put all ingredients in pan in order suggested by machine manufacturer.  Select the basic white bread cycle and start. Takes about 4 hours.
2. Let cool at least 5 minutes before cutting.  Enjoy!