Fondue

Posted on 2012/02/04 10:55:54 (February 2012).

[Friday 3rd February 2012]
The cold weather we'd been experiencing this week had made me think of fondue yesterday, and obviously that notion had lingered in my thought processes as today I decided we should have that for dinner. It's only the second or third time I've ever attempted to make fondue at home, so I actually consulted a recipe, and even went as far as to weigh and measure ingredients (as I don't yet have an instinctive feel for what the right ratio of wine to cheese should be). Of course though there was still room for creativity with the selection of cheeses, and the selection of things to dip into it. I used mainly cheddar - a vintage Westcountry farmhouse, a bit of leftover emmental we had hanging around, and one more cheese we'd bought in Paxton and Whitfield whose name escapes me. The classic recipe of course calls for gruyere, but I've still never seen one made with vegetarian rennet in a shop (see here). Last time I made fondue though I'd been inspired by a recipe I found somewhere for "English fondue" which used cheddar and cider, and it occurred to me then that good old cheddar actually works pretty well.

Again this evening it turned out pleasingly well, although I think we could do with some kind of hotplate to keep it warm while we're eating it (it starts to go a bit lumpy otherwise) and I think I overcooked the vegetables somewhat. Oh, and I really wanted some twee Swiss music to have playing in the background while we were eating, but couldn't find any suitable Internet radio station. Still, those minor disappointments aside it made for a fun dinner.

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