Me, I'm a ‘duer. Or at least I used to be, back in 2002 BC (Before Children). So with Valentine's Day just around the corner, it seems like the perfect time to pull the ol' fondue pot out of the -- now where DID I put that thing? -- and stir up a batch of the ultimate communal food.
After all, nothing says "romance" like double-dipping with the one you love.
If you've never done the fondue, then you don't know what you're missing. It's so much more than melted cheese. A classic fondue recipe starts with a rich cheese (usually Emmentaller or Gruyere) and blends it with a little spice (ground mustard) and enough liquid (generally white wine) to create a sinful little sauce for dunking chunks of crusty bread, meat, veggies or fruit.
And if you get the consistency right, you'll remove your morsel of choice with just the thinnest layer of cheese coated around it, enough to taste but not so much that it masks the taste of whatever's on the end of your stick.
Try your hand at one of the non-traditional fondue recipes included this week -- one that uses German beer as its thinner and another that combines peanut butter and hot pepper jelly into a spicy little number.
Or to make it easier on yourself, pick up a package of pre-made fondue at the store, ready to warm up on the stovetop or in a traditional melting pot. Quicker still, one of the companies that make said packets, Swissrose, has just announced a new line of miniature, microwavable fondue cups.
Each features the same imported Swiss recipe -- either cheese or chocolate -- ready for dipping after just a few seconds of zapping. I tried both over the weekend and they're pretty good. The cheese cup featured that characteristic white wine tang and the chocolate even had hints of light cheese and roasted hazelnuts. Although you miss out on the fun of swirling your dunkers of choice into a bubbling pot alongside others, the fondue inside these individual cups still tastes pretty much the same.
And you don't have to worry about anyone else slobbering in your cup.
Chocolate is never boring. But unless there's a sentimental reason for doing so -- you gave her a Clark Bar on your first date and like to re-create that memory each Valentine's Day -- giving the same box of chocolate year after year is a little uninspiring. (Some say chocolate itself has become too cliche a gift. But they are nuts.)
So if you're looking for something a little different this year, check out some of these exotic sweets for your sweet that I've recently discovered:
From the "I'm Not So Sure About This Department" ...
Baskin-Robbins has just introduced a new "scent-ual" ice cream flavor, Swiss Chocolate Treasure. Sounds harmless enough, but this is a case where the name doesn't say it all. The new flavor features a blend of Blueberry Lavender, Milk Chocolate and Swiss Chocolate ice creams with purple chocolate-filled lavender cups hidden throughout.
I don't know -- it's brown and purple ice cream. May be great, may be gross.
Oh, you say I should try it? All right, be right back ...
(Sound of Jeopardy music marking the passage of time.)
Well, it's fantastic. Seriously, the combination works far better than you might expect. Lavender's delicate, floral notes hold up well next to dark, rich chocolate and the results are pretty tasty.
Best of all, pick up a pint of this stuff and you've solved the age-old "chocolate or flowers" gift-giving dilemma that has plagued undecided men since the dawn of time. Or whenever it was Hallmark invented Valentine's Day.
German Style Beer Fondue
1 clove garlic
3/4 tsp. caraway seeds
2 cups pilsner beer
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. sugar
1 pound fully cooked turkey sausage, sliced
4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp. whole-grain mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 loaf rye or pumpernickel bread, unsliced
3 Granny Smith apples, cut into chunks
2 potatoes, baked and cut into chunks
1. Rub bottom of heavy 4-quart saucepan with garlic clove, then discard clove. Add caraway seeds to pan and toast over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
2. Pour beer into pot and stir until foam dissipates. Stir in lemon juice and sugar. Bring mixture to a boil and add sausage pieces. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, 8-10 minutes.
3. Remove sausage from pot with slotted spoon and cover with foil to keep warm. Leave beer mixture over low heat.
4. In large bowl, toss cheese with flour until evenly coated. Slowly whisk in beer mixture, one-half cup at a time, stirring until melted. Whisk in Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt and cayenne pepper until blended.
5. Transfer mixture to warm 1 1/2 quart fondue pot, or small slow-cooker set on low. Serve with sausage slices, chunks of bread, apple slices and potato cubes.
Spicy Peanut Fondue
1 cup chunky natural peanut butter
1/3 cup hot pepper jelly
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 to 3/4 cup hot water
1/2 tsp. salt (if using unsalted peanut butter)
pinch cayenne pepper, to taste
1. Stir together all ingredients in a fondue pot or saucepan over medium heat until melted. Let simmer one minute, then reduce heat to low and serve with cubes of grilled chicken or pork, celery sticks, fresh grapes, chunks of bread or diced cooked sweet potato for dipping.
2. Stir fondue often to prevent burning. Add additional water, as needed, if sauce becomes too thick.
Contact writer Steven Keith at dailymailfoodguy@aol.com or 348-1721.