First Fondue!
Having been at our new (rental) home for a few months now, and with cooler Fall weather replacing the typical Texas heat, we elected to christen the place with a "first Fondue" of the 2006-2007 season.
As no friends or family were available to join us, it was a simple "fambly" Fondue, which turned out to be fine with us (three teenagers can consume amazing volumes of expensive imported cheese!).
Those who know us (okay, me) will know this Fondue was a classic, authentic Swiss Fondue — not the ever-popular chocolate, or meat & oil (a.k.a. Fondue Chinoise, or Fondue Bourguignonne), this classic tradition is made with wine and Swiss cheeses. The "classic" recipe calls for half-and-half Emmentaler and Gruyère, but we prefer mostly Gruyère, or (when we can get it) Appenzeller.
The traditional Fondue wine is a Swiss Fendant (made with the Chasselas grape — Portugese "Vino Verde" can offer similar qualities at a lower price), but we have settled on (hold yer hats, wine (and Fondue) snobs) a Texas wine: The Ste. Genevieve "Texas White" from Fort Stockton. Though marketed as a table wine, we find that it has enough of a dry, semi-fruity semblance to a true Chasselas wine to qualify for a cooking purpose such as a Fondue.
Some claim a French baguette is required for Fondue, but my experience in the German-speaking regions of Switzerland suggests a more dense, somewhat larger, but still crusty, loaf to be commonplace.
Wifey (MrsPractical) enjoys a Fondue at least in part because I do most of the work: I slice the bread, cube the cheese, prep the pot, prep the Kirsch, do all the mixing and cooking, and wrestle the crispy treat from the bottom of the pot after it has cooled... All she has to do is set the table (or get the kids to do it), and put mini-gherkins and pickled mini-onions in bowls.
Oh yeah — and then she cleans up after me.
As no friends or family were available to join us, it was a simple "fambly" Fondue, which turned out to be fine with us (three teenagers can consume amazing volumes of expensive imported cheese!).
Those who know us (okay, me) will know this Fondue was a classic, authentic Swiss Fondue — not the ever-popular chocolate, or meat & oil (a.k.a. Fondue Chinoise, or Fondue Bourguignonne), this classic tradition is made with wine and Swiss cheeses. The "classic" recipe calls for half-and-half Emmentaler and Gruyère, but we prefer mostly Gruyère, or (when we can get it) Appenzeller.
The traditional Fondue wine is a Swiss Fendant (made with the Chasselas grape — Portugese "Vino Verde" can offer similar qualities at a lower price), but we have settled on (hold yer hats, wine (and Fondue) snobs) a Texas wine: The Ste. Genevieve "Texas White" from Fort Stockton. Though marketed as a table wine, we find that it has enough of a dry, semi-fruity semblance to a true Chasselas wine to qualify for a cooking purpose such as a Fondue.Some claim a French baguette is required for Fondue, but my experience in the German-speaking regions of Switzerland suggests a more dense, somewhat larger, but still crusty, loaf to be commonplace.
Wifey (MrsPractical) enjoys a Fondue at least in part because I do most of the work: I slice the bread, cube the cheese, prep the pot, prep the Kirsch, do all the mixing and cooking, and wrestle the crispy treat from the bottom of the pot after it has cooled... All she has to do is set the table (or get the kids to do it), and put mini-gherkins and pickled mini-onions in bowls.
Oh yeah — and then she cleans up after me.
posted by Mudrostovich at 7:08 PM
4 Comments:
I still don't know if the cleaning up part balances the not having to cook part.
Omygosh! This is my favorite post, Mr. Impractical. I LOVE cheese!
you wallaces are seriously detail oriented. i fear we are slightly detail-impaired in our family. ah well. love the new blog! are the younger wallaces starting blogs, too?? more! more!
You know that the main reason for this dish is to get enough calories so you're able to clean the pot afterwards ;-)
BTW; Romy and I had our first Fondue of the season yesterday evening.
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