Lenny Rice - Fondue

Copyright 2007 by Lenny Rice and Brigid Callinan
Photography copyright 2007 by Leo Gong

All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
www.tenspeed.com

Ten Speed Press and the Ten Speed Press colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Rice, Lenny.
Fondue / Lenny Rice, Brigid Callinan.
p. cm.
Includes index.
1. Fondue. I. Callinan, Brigid. II. Title.
TX825.R53 2007
641.81dc22 2007010652

eISBN: 978-1-60774-241-8

Cover design by Chloe Rawlins
Prop styling by Natalie Hoelen
Food styling by Kim Konecny
Food styling assistance by Julia Scahill
Photography assistance by Akiko Seki and Harumi
Food styling for recipe image for and on the hardcover edition cover by Karen Shinto

v3.1

Okay, admit it: youve had a fondue pot in your garage/attic/basement since who knows when, likely a long-ago wedding/Christmas/housewarming gift, and you havent had the heart to take it to Goodwill. Its still sitting there next to a Salad Shooter and electric knife. Youve hung on to it all this time because you know in your heart that fondue is a great idea. But like every great idea, it needs to be dusted off, re-examined, and updated regularly to be appreciated.

A few years ago, after teaching a series of cheese classes, we found ourselves with a mountain of very delicious cheese scraps. To honor the memory of those cheeses, we impulsively decided to throw a fondue party. The outcome? We hit fondue-pot pay dirt in our circle of foodie friends. Why did everyone have a fondue pot that had never been used? Our hard-hitting investigative reporting uncovered a shocking fact: people had no fondue clue. Simply put, they did not know how to make fondue and consequently did not realize how easy and fun fondue can be! They associated fondue with leisure suits and shag carpet. Lenny and Brigid to the rescue! What followed was a hedonistic feast of melty, cheesy, chocolaty, and caramely delights, without a single leisure suit or a pair of Earth shoes in sight.

Needless to say, our inaugural fondue inspired many subsequent events just like it. Though we honor the classic fondue traditions at our fondue parties, we also experiment with our favorite foods of the moment and imagine many more tantalizing fondue combinations for future gatherings. This book is the culmination of those imaginings, meant to inspire a fresh, new look at an old favorite.

We dont want to risk overstating its power, but fondue is magic. Born out of winter resourcefulness in Alpine farmhouses, the communal fondue has always been at least as comforting socially as it is gastronomically. We would love to invite a bunch of sociologists to observe a fondue party. Maybe they could explain how fondue can transform a group of disparate social factions into a competitive yet cooperative cheesy love fest, bound by melted cheese and color-coded forks. At our fondue parties, we dont have to worry that all we have for dinner is bread, cheese, and a little wine; so we are able to truly celebrate the fun and warmth of both our friends and our fondue.

We want to share this fun with you. Whats better than food on a stick? Fondue can be many things: an entire party (our preference), or an appetizer, entre, or dessert. We have scoured the cheese-covered earth to bring you loads of options for sharing the magic of fondue with your friends and family.

The term fondue comes from the French word fondre (to melt). Dating back to eighteenth-century Switzerland, when the local cheese and wine were both common household ingredients, fondue started as a way for people in Alpine villages to utilize cheeses that had become hard and dry during winter storage. Each component of the fondue would have been readily available when little else was, and, while delicious, the additions were strictly functional: the wine in which the cheese is melted protected it from scorching over direct heat; kirsch, a cherry brandy, was added if the cheese lacked the desired tang; the cornstarch or flour kept the fat and protein in the cheese from separating.

Not much has changed in terms of what makes a great fondue todaya good cheese is still the most important ingredient. The good news is that we have more cheeses available to us than ever, and more places throughout the country to buy cheese for fondue. Explore your neighborhood to find the best cheese sourcesgrocery stores, specialty stores, wine stores. If you cant find what you desire locally, go online. Youll be amazed at the number of online vendors that will ship cheese right to your door.

When deciding where to buy your cheese, most important to find out is how well the cheese has been cared for once it has left the farm or dairy. Here are some tips on how to get the best cheese for your fondue.

The best quality cheese will be cut to order from the original size wheel. This is not always an option, but if you can find a shop that sells cheese that way you will generally get a better piece of cheese. If the cheese is stored as a wheel, it retains its moisture and is less likely to absorb undesirable flavors from other foods in the refrigerator or from plastic wrap. If you cant find a shop that cuts to order, make sure you buy from one that sells a lot of cheese; this usually means the cut pieces havent spent too much time wrapped in plastic and stored with other things that can impart unwanted flavors. As soon as cheese is cut, grated, or shaved, it begins to dry out; with the lost moisture goes the flavor, so also avoid purchasing any cheeses that have already been grated or shaved. Finally, purchase cheese as close as possible to when you plan to use it (most cheeses should be eaten within one to two weeks from the date of purchase), and get only the amount you need.

How much fondue to make for a party? Most of our recipes call for a pound of cheese and serve four to six people as an appetizer or party-snack portion, or two to three people as an entre. For a party of ten to twelve people, we recommend serving at least three cheese fondue recipes with various accompaniments, along with one or two dessert fondues.

Cheese is a living thing and it needs to breathe. If the cheese was purchased wrapped in plastic, rewrap it in butcher or parchment paper when you get it home. If the parchment is very thin, however, give the cheese a double wrap or it will tend to dry out. Blue cheeses fare best when wrapped in aluminum foil. The best spot to store cheese is in the refrigerator, which is unfortunately colder than ideal, but the only option for most of us. More specifically, store it in the crisper drawer where its a bit warmer and more humid (cheese absorbs moisture too) than in other spots in the fridge. If youre feeling extra protective, do all of the above (rewrap and keep in crisper) and store the cheese in a small, cardboard box, which will also protect it from other refrigerator odors. Never freeze cheese for any reason; you will be left with a dry crumbly mess when it thaws.