F: Fondue

Happy New Year everyone!  I hope that you have all been enjoying 2011 so far. Very recently I flew over to the UK where I will be for a little while for school.  I have been having a nice time, catching up with old friends, and I am very excited for the possible adventures to come. I feel that working on this blog will become a bit of an adventure in itself because completing recipes with all the exact ingredients and tools will become a much greater challenge so please bear with me.

So far I have been on a slight hiatus while I have been trying to get settled here. I made the following dishes a little while ago but as a consolation there are two for the price of one! In honour of the various festivities that just passed as well as the winter weather, I wanted to post a comfort food recipe that is great for gatherings amongst close friends: fondue. I always find fondue a lot of fun and the little party that took place in its honour was a great way to use my two fondue pots which often get neglected. One pot is heated by a gas gel and I use it for cheese recipes. My other is a ceramic bowl which is heated by a tea light and I use it for chocolate recipes because it does not get as hot.

Below are two different fondue recipes (one savoury and one sweet) that have been adapted from the book of the same title. The first is an Irish Stout Fondue that was so delicious I have trouble keeping my focus while writing about it. It was made with Guinness beer and Dubliner cheddar cheese, though any sharp cheddar would work. The addition of the grainy mustard gives it a nice bite. I really think that the flavours of the cheddar, stout, and mustard combined would also be really tasty in a macaroni and cheese dish...just saying.

For accompaniments we had apple and baguette cut into cubes.  There were also baby potatoes and slices of onion that had been seasoned with olive oil and salt and pepper and then roasted at 400F/200C for approximately an hour. The sweet fondue was chocolate and was served with pound cake, brownies, bananas, and strawberries.  There are so many other options for appropriate dippers so just take a look at what is leftover in your fridge and be creative!

IRISH STOUT FONDUE

Ingredients

1 pound Irish cheddar (such as Dubliner), grated

2 ½ Tbs all-purpose flour

1 Tbs butter

¾ cup stout (such as Guinness)

1 Tbs grainy mustard

Place the grated cheese in a medium sized bowl. Add the flour and mix to coat evenly.

In a large saucepan melt the butter on a medium heat. Add the stout and bring to a boil. Lower the temperature and add the cheese mixture, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes until it is thick and creamy. Stir in the mustard.

Remove from the heat and transfer to the fondue pot. Serve immediately.

CHOCOLATE FONDUE

Ingredients

4 oz milk chocolate

12 oz semi-sweet chocolate

1 ½ cups heavy cream

1 tsp (approx) ground cinnamon

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Break both the milk and semi-sweet chocolate into small pieces and place in a large, heat proof bowl. Set aside.

Place the cream and cinnamon in a saucepan. At a medium temperature bring the cream and cinnamon to a simmer while stirring constantly. Pour the cream mixture over the chocolate and let sit for one minute. Stir until all of the chocolate has melted. Stir in the vanilla extract and serve immediately.