Fondue is a great dish, perfect for feeding a lively, noisy company or eating alone. Fondue can be an appetizer, main course, or dessert, depending on what you choose as a base for your hot sauce.
Types of fondue
There are three main types of fondue. Classic fondue, Swiss - cheese. Bourguignon fondue is made by dipping pieces of meat or seafood in hot oil, hot broth, or wine. Dessert fondue is made by melting chocolate and dipping pieces of fruit, biscuits, berries into it. There is also a caramel dessert fondue.
Regardless of what kind of fondue you serve, you will need special equipment - a thin two-pronged fork with a long handle for each guest. Usually the handles of such forks are painted in different colors so that each guest can define their own. Also prepare simple forks for food, because those that are long-handled are not suitable for eating, they get too hot. You will also need a wide dish, divided into several segments - various ingredients are put on it, which are going to be dipped in boiling sauce. And, of course, you need the fondue pot itself - a pot installed above an alcohol, gel or candle burner. These pots are of several types - ceramic, cast iron and metal. Ceramic and cast iron are not capable of maintaining high temperatures, therefore they are only suitable for cheese and chocolate fondues, metal ones are used for making cheese and bourguignon fondues.
Cheese fondue
For the classic Swiss cheese fondue you will need:
- 1 clove of garlic;
- 300 ml of dry white wine;
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice;
- 225 grams of grated emmental cheese;
- 225 grams of grated Gruyere cheese;
- 1 teaspoon of corn flour;
- 1 tablespoon of Kirsch cherry liqueur.
Cut the garlic in half and rub the inside of the fondue pot in half. Pour wine and lemon juice into a pot, place it on the stove and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and stir in cheeses gradually while stirring. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they are completely melted. Continuing to stir, add flour and pour in liquor. Transfer to a stand with a lit burner. You can dip pieces of boiled chicken breast, ham, boiled seafood, slices of apples, pears, croutons, slices of baguette, pickles, boiled vegetables into cheese fondue.
Burgundy fondue
Despite the name, Burgundy fondue was also invented in Switzerland. For it, vegetable oil, such as peanut or grape seed oil, is heated almost to a boil, spicy-aromatic herbs are added to it - bay leaves, dried thyme, basil, parsley and pieces of raw meat, chicken, vegetables are dipped. Various hot sauces are served with this fondue. Its varieties are fondue with hot broth, wine, cider and even champagne.
Chocolate fondue
Only bars with a cocoa content of at least 50% are suitable for chocolate fondue. The better the chocolate, the tastier and more flavorful the fondue. Liqueur or rum is also added to it. The chocolate is melted in a water bath, and then also put on the burner. Strawberries, sliced bananas, apples, pears, peaches, grapes, dried fruits, biscuits, marshmallows are dipped in it. It is best to keep the fruit chilled before serving.
