Today, the word “fondue” means several types of dishes that are united by the peculiarity of serving: they put a saucepan (one for all) with a liquid hot mass on the table, and slices of bread, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, etc., are dipped into it. It all started with cheese fondue, which once upon a time was invented by Swiss peasants, but a little later, already in France, other types of sauces appeared – meat, butter and even chocolate.

 

Today, fondue (translated from French as “to melt”) is not only and not so much a national Swiss dish. Rather, it is a kind of ritual, an occasion to gather with relatives and friends at the same table. And for the hostess of the house – the opportunity to heartily feed all the guests, but at the same time not stand at the stove.

 

And if you are a real fan of cheese and like to serve it to your guests, then we highly recommend buying a wood charcuterie board from Royal Craft Wood.

 

 

Classic fondue set:

 

  • a saucepan with thick walls (it has a name – caquelon, or “fondyushnitsa”),
  • burner,
  • a stand for a saucepan on which the burner is installed,
  • long forks with wooden or plastic handles in different colors.

 

The set may also include bowls, gravy boats, a round tray-stand (stationary or rotating), gel for the burner.

 

If you don’t have a fondue maker and you don’t plan to buy it yet, but you want to make fondue, improvise. You can melt cheese with wine, heat butter or broth, melt chocolate in an ordinary homemade saucepan.

 

Cheese fondue for a snack

Among the products that the Swiss peasants prepared for the winter, there was always a lot of bread, wine and cheese. The latter, despite proper storage, quickly weathered and hardened. So that dried cheese does not go to waste, it was invented to melt it by throwing it into a pot of hot wine. Then the whole adult family gathered at one table and ate from a common cast-iron, dipping pieces of bread into the hot cheese-wine mass.

 

This simple dish was enjoyed not only by peasants, but also by aristocrats. However, rich people began to use several expensive varieties of cheese, good wine, spices and nutmeg for their “bowlers” at once, so that fondue turned into a delicacy.

The principle of making cheese fondue at home is simple. White wine is heated in a saucepan, grated cheese is melted in it, spices and a little starch are added there to thicken the mass. The fondue maker is then moved from the stove to the table, positioned over the burner to keep the sauce warm. The assembled guests strung slices of dried bread on long forks and dipped them in cheese.

 

So, if you are going to make cheese fondue:

 

Pay attention to the choice of cheeses. It is best to mix several types: for example, Gruyère and raclette or Emmental and Beaufort. Don’t buy already grated cheese or fondue mixes, better prepare your own mix right before cooking.

 

Choose a good dry white wine for the base. Bread for cheese fondue is better to take slightly dried. You need to cut it into cubes – so that a crust remains on each piece.

 

In addition to bread, less classic options can be offered for cheese fondue: mushrooms, shrimps, cauliflower, green beans. Before pouring the wine into the fondue pot, rub the sides of the saucepan with a clove of garlic.

 

For fondue for 3-4 people you will need:

 

  • 200 g emmental cheese
  • 500 g gruyère cheese
  • 250 ml dry white wine
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp. l. corn starch,
  • 1 garlic clove
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg,
  • dried bread – as much as needed.

 

Finely chop the cheese. Rub the sides of the fondue pot with garlic, pour most of the wine and lemon juice into it, put it on low heat. Add the cheese to the heated wine and melt over low heat, stirring.

 

Dilute the starch with the remaining wine and pour into the mass so that it becomes viscous and homogeneous. After the cheese is completely melted, add the nutmeg, stir, sweat on the stove and move the saucepan to the burner. Prick a piece of bread on a fork with a long handle, dip into the cheese mass and immediately pull it out. Continue to hold the fork over the fondue until all excess cheese has drained off the bread, then proceed to the meal.

 

Meat fondue for dinner

The French, who lived in the territories bordering Switzerland, not only quickly learned about the new dish, but also took the trouble to improve it. So there was a fondue in Burgundy (that is, meat). There is no need to melt anything here, and only the principle of cooking remains from the original recipe – in one pot, at a common table.

 

Fondue in Burgundy is boiling vegetable oil, into which thinly sliced ​​pieces of meat are dipped. The meat is instantly fried, and then it can be dipped in one of the proposed sauces. In some regions of France, they prefer to replace vegetable oil with any meat broth. Then the meat is not fried, but boiled.

 

If you decide to cook fondue in Burgundy:

 

Meat choose dense, lean and without streaks: beef, veal, turkey, chicken. You can also take chicken hearts and beef liver.

 

Cut the meat into cubes about 3 cm in size or into long thin strips.

Before cooking, the meat must be marinated. There are no strict rules here, rely on your imagination, use your favorite marinades and herbs.

 

Before serving the meat on the table, it must be dried with paper napkins (otherwise there is a risk of getting burned with oil, which will begin to splatter).

 

Pay attention to the choice of sauces. In meat fondue, they play a key role. Tartar, curry, garlic, honey-mustard and sesame sauces are well suited for meat.

For fondue for 2-3 people you will need:

 

  • 1 liter sunflower oil
  • 300 g lean beef
  • 300 g chicken fillet,
  • 300 g chicken hearts,
  • 300 g turkey,
  • salt,
  • spices,
  • 1 garlic clove
  • favorite marinade,
  • sauces to taste.

 

A few hours before the start of the feast, cut the meat into cubes or strips, add salt and spices to taste and marinate in any marinade. Before serving, dry the meat with napkins and arrange in bowls.

 

Grate the fondue pot from the inside with a clove of garlic, pour in sunflower oil. Place the saucepan on the stove and bring the oil to a boil. Carefully move the fondue maker onto the burner stand. Prick a piece of meat on a long fork and dip in boiling oil for 1-3 minutes. Be careful: oil may splatter! Then remove the fried piece of meat on a plate with a spare fork, check the degree of its readiness. Now dip the meat with a second fork (the one that has not been in oil) in any sauce you like.

 

Chocolate fondue for dessert

 

This option is a relatively recent invention. In most cases, it is customary for them to complete the meal, or they can make chocolate fondue part of a romantic evening for two.

 

Chocolate is melted in a fondue pot, cream, alcohol and spices are added, then served. It is customary to immerse berries and pieces of fruit chopped on a long fork into the chocolate mass.

 

If you are making chocolate fondue:

 

A small ceramic fondue pot is best for him. The content of cocoa butter in chocolate should be high – for better melting. As an accompaniment to chocolate fondue, in addition to fruits and berries, you can serve nuts, candied fruits, dried fruits, cookies, biscuits.

 

For fondue for two people you will need:

 

  • 300 ml cream
  • 150 g dark chocolate,
  • 20 ml cognac,
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon.

 

Pour the cream into the fondue pot and heat it directly on the burner. Add grated or chopped chocolate and cinnamon. While stirring, bring the mass to a homogeneous liquid state. Pour in brandy and serve.

 

Prick pieces of fruit and berries on a fork with a long handle, dip them into the chocolate mass and immediately pull them out. Allow the chocolate to harden slightly before eating.

 

Usually fondue is served for a large company. Therefore, there is a certain etiquette. Here are a few simple rules that will help organize a meal correctly:

 

Try not to touch the fork with your lips when removing a treat from it – this is elementary hygiene and respect for other participants in the feast.

Do not drop pieces of bread, meat or fruit into the common “cauldron”: carefully place the food on the fork, and lower the fork itself and pull it out of the fondue pot slowly.

After removing the fork with the treat from the saucepan, try not to drip cheese, butter or chocolate on the table.

 

For fondue, it is customary to set the table beautifully: prepare napkins, arrange snacks in identical bowls, and serve bread in a wicker basket. Don’t forget sauces and spices (prepared with Royal Craft Wood).