Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: A Warm & Cosy Fondue Evening

It’s winter in Australia, and time to nestle in and enjoy the culinary delights that the cold weather brings. Whilst we don’t have snow in Sydney, it can still get mighty cold at this time of the year. What better way to warm up than with heart-warming fondue shared with a group of good friends?

Apart from the obvious winter-warming benefits, fondue is fun food – a meal enjoyed in a communal and interactive manner, food that you can dunk, dip and swirl. It can’t but help evoke a convivial mood.  It’s also perfect for entertaining, as guests actually cook their own meal, a much better alternative to the host being stuck in the kitchen alone while everyone else is having fun. A little earlier preparation is all that is required of the host.

When many people think of fondue they think of the classic Swiss cheese fondue. Whilst dipping good bread into melted cheese is divine, there are many other uses for that dusty fondue pot. My Fondue Evening Menu comprised 4 quite different types of fondues, each of which I paired with matching wines:

Gruyere and Porcini Fondue
Riesling
-
Mongolian Hotpot with Prawns, Assorted Vegetables and Asian Dipping Sauces
Sauvignon Blanc
-
Fondue Bourguignonne with a Selection of Dipping Sauces
Shiraz
-
Chocolate Liqueur Fondue with Seasonal Fruits and Marshmallows
Eau de Vie

THE GUESTS:
The guests comprised of 3 other couples, all of who have an appreciation for quality home-cooked food and a good sense of fun. They are all good friends of mine and hubbie Paul’s, and we’ve shared many a meal with them:

Sam and Simon – Scottish friends f ours, who emigrated to Australia 4 years ago and totally embrace the Aussie lifestyle. They are both keen cooks, willing to give anything a go in the kitchen!

Samantha and Steve – Samantha is a food writer, and her husband Steve loves to eat her creations!

Amber and Brett – newly-wedded friends (married in Hawaii in April) who also enjoy good food and wine.

THE LOCATION & AMBIANCE:
The Fondue Evening took place at my home on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. We live in a valley, so it can get really quite cold here in winter (well, by Aussie standards!). It was a particularly chilly evening, which set the mood perfectly. Naturally the heater was pumped up high and candles were placed to create a cosy ambience. I placed mini glow-lamps around the table to add a bit of a retro to the mood (after all, fondue is VERY 70’s!) It seemed fitting to listen to music of that era, so disco and Abba were on the musical menu.

Guests were offered a glass of bubbly or a German beer upon arrival. I kept the appetisers to a minimum, owing to the amount of food that was to follow!

THE FOOD PREPARATION:
I am a big fan of being organised and having as little to do as possible once my guests arrive. Here is a list of tasks that can all be done before the guests arrived:
-    Prep all the ingredients for the Gruyere and Porcini Fondue
-    Cut the bread into cubes for the Gruyere and Porcini Fondue
-    Assemble (but don’t dress) a salad. Make the dressing.
-    Make the stock for the Hotpot
-    Peel, devein and marinate the prawns for the hotpot
-    Prepare the vegetables for the hotpot
-    Make all the dipping sauces
-    Cut the beef for the Fondue Bourguignonne
-    Chop the chocolate for the Chocolate Fondue
-    Prepare the fruit for the Chocolate Fondue

FIRST COURSE: GRUYERE & PORCINI FONDUE
We started with the Gruyere and Porcini Fondue. This was the only course that required any work in the kitchen whilst my guests were there, but because I had prepped all the ingredients, it took no more than 10 minutes. To serve, I used an electric fondue pot which I had acquired from my Dutch inlaws several years ago. It even had a European plug, so we had to play hunt-the-adapter that afternoon! I served a Western Australian Riesling (Kalgan Estate 2007 Riesling) which married perfectly with the rich cheesiness of the fondue.

Tradition states that if you lose your bread to the fondue, you either have to plant a kiss on someone of the opposite sex or buy the next bottle of wine. So needless to say, there were a few kisses being exchanged!

Ingredients (Serves 8 as starter):
10g dried porcini mushrooms, broken into smallish pieces
1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced in half
500ml dry white wine, such as Riesling
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1kg Gruyere cheese, coarsely grated
2 TBS cornflour
80ml kirsch
Pepper

To serve:
Baguette, ciabatta, woodfired or sourdough bread, cut into cubes.
Green salad
Cornichons (small pickled cucumbers)

Equipment:
Fondue Pot
Fondue Forks

Method:
1.    Soak the porcini mushrooms in ½ cup nearly boiling water for 20 minutes. Drain, reserving the porcini liquid.
2.    Rub the inside of a heavy-based saucepan with the cut side of the garlic. Discard garlic.
3.    Place the pan over a medium heat and add the wine, lemon juice and reserved porcini liquid. Allow to come to a simmer, then gradually add the grated cheese, stirring constantly until the cheese has melted, about 10 minutes. The mixture should be simmering but not boiling.
4.    In a small bowl, mix together the cornflour and the kirsch. Stir into the cheese mixture together with the drained porcini mushrooms.
5.    Season to taste with pepper and transfer to a fondue pot. Place on the table over a lit flame, stirring from time to time.
6.    To eat, skewer pieces of bread onto fondue forks and dip into the fondue pot, swirling in a figure-of-8 motion to keep the mixture smooth and to stop it sticking to the bottom of the pan too early.
7.    Serve with a Green Salad and Cornichons.
If making ahead of time: Allow to cool and place a piece of plastic food wrap over the surface of the fondue. Refrigerate. Reheat over the stove in a saucepan, stirring continuously, adding a little warmed wine if it is too thick. Transfer to fondue pot and proceed.

SECOND COURSE:  MONGOLIAN HOTPOT
Next on the menu was the Mongolian Hotpot, or Steamboat as it is also known.  For those that have not experienced Hotpot, it comprises an array of raw and marinated ingredients that are then cooked in a centrally placed pot of simmering stock. Dipping sauces are often served alongside to dip the cooked food in.

I chose marinated Prawns and a selection of raw vegetables as dippers, and flavoured the stock with various Asian-ingredients. Traditionally, noodles are added to the pot and served at the end with the remaining stock, but knowing the amount of food that was to follow I left this out. I accompanied this with a selection of simple Asian dipping sauces.

I used an Electric Wok for this dish, as I felt my Electric Fondue pot was a little small given that there were 8 of us. Chinese wire strainers came in handy to fish the food in and out of the stock, but slotted spoons, fondue forks or chopsticks will suffice.

The flavours were light and fresh – perfect after the richness of the Cheese Fondue. A Sauvignon Blanc paired nicely. It was a lot of fun cooking and eating this course – a bit like fishing to remove the various foods from the stock! In typical Asian style, we managed to make a big mess of the tablecloth – a sign of enjoyment!

Ingredients (serves 8):

Stock (Broth):
3 litres water
½ bunch shallots, trimmed and cut into 4 cm lengths
6 garlic cloves, crushed
20 slices ginger
8 dried shitake mushrooms, chopped
3 lemongrass stalks, bruised
1 tablespoon sea salt
Handful of Coriander Leaves

32 king prawns

Marinade for Prawns:
Finely grated rind and juice of 3 limes
1/3 cup soy sauce
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tbsp clear honey
2 red chillies, seeded and chopped

Selection of vegetables as follows:
Broccoli florets or Broccolini
Baby corn
Button or oyster mushrooms
Bok Choy / Choy Sum, cut into bitesized pieces
Beansprouts
Fresh Hokien noodles, cooked (optional)

To serve:
Dipping Sauces (recipes follow)

Equipment:

Electric Wok, Mongolian Fire Pot or fondue pot
Wire Strainers, slotted spoons, fondue forks or chopsticks

Method:
1.    Mix all the marinade ingredients together and mix with the prawns. Allow to marinate for 2 hours.
2.    Place all stock ingredients in a stock pot, bring to the boil and allow to simmer for 20-30 minutes (can be done ahead of time). Transfer the stock to the electric wok and bring to a gentle simmer.
3.    Arrange the prawns and prepared vegetables on platters around the table. Place the dipping sauces on the table.
4.    Ask guests to select ingredients and lower into the simmering stock in the wire baskets or other implements. Transfer the cooked ingredients to serving plates and serve with dipping sauces.
5.    When the prawns and vegetables are eaten, add the noodles to the stock and serve in bowls to be eaten as a soup.
Dipping Sauces (can all be prepared ahead of time):

Soy Wasabi Sauce
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 TBS wasabi

Combine in a bowl

Sesame Oyster Sauce
¼ cup Oyster Sauce
1 ½ teaspoons sesame oil

Combine in a bowl

Thai-style dipping Sauce
75g palm sugar or brown sugar
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
2 TBS fish sauce
3-4 Thai chillies, finely chopped

Dissolve sugar in lime juice. Add fish sauce and chopped chilli and mix well.

THIRD COURSE: FONDUE BOURGUIGNONNE
This is a really simple but delicious dish, essentially deep-fried beef served with a selection of dipping sauces. Make sure you use good quality beef – fillet or sirloin is perfect. For the dipping sauces, I did a Horseradish Cream Sauce, a Cocktail Sauce and a Lemon Garlic Sauce (definitely the most popular out of the three).

I used a borrowed traditional-style fondue pot with an open flame (using methylated spirits as fuel). The open flame definitely appealed to the men of the table – they had lots of fun  trying to cook the beef over the naked flame before the fondue pot with the heated oil was brought to the table!  Deep frying at the table over a flame was very rustic and gave a very authentic air to the evening – a bit like being transported to an exotic European destination!

A good gutsy Australia Shiraz complemented this dish well, but any full bodied red wine would be a good match.

Ingredients (serves 8):
1.5kg good beef, eg fillet or sirloin steak, fat removed and cut into 2.5cm cubes and seasoned with salt and pepper
About 1 litre vegetable oil / grapeseed oil / groundnut oil (enough to half-fill your fondue pot)

To serve:
Dipping sauces (recipes follow)

Equipment:
Metal or cast iron Fondue Pot
Fondue Forks
Side Plates and forks

Method:
1.    Remove the meat from refrigerator 20 minutes prior to cooking.
2.    Half-fill the fondue pot with oil and heat over the stove to 180C – 190 degrees C (350 – 370 degree F). Carefully place the fondue pot over a heat source in the centre of the table (make sure it is sitting securely). Ensure the heat of the oil is maintained.
3.    Ask guests to spear meat pieces with a fondue fork & immerse in the hot oil for 30 seconds to one minute, or until cooked to desired doneness.
4.    Remove from fondue fork with a normal fork and dip into dipping sauces.

Horseradish Cream Sauce
2/3 cup crème fraîche (from good supermarkets and deli’s) or sour cream
3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In a small bowl mix together the crème fraîche or sour cream, horseradish and chives, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Cover with plastic food wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Garlic Lemon Sauce
3/4 cup Mayonnaise
1 TBS Lemon Juice
1½ tsp crushed garlic
1/2 tsp Tabasco

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well
Cover and refrigerate until serving

Cocktail Sauce
1 small clove of garlic, crushed
1/2 cup sour cream or regular cream
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 TBS brandy
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Dash Tabasco sauce
Salt & pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients, adding salt and pepper to taste.
Cover and refrigerate until serving.

FOURTH COURSE – CHOCOLATE LIQUEUR FONDUE

Everyone loves chocolate, and this was a fitting end to and indulgent evening. It must have been that time of the evening, or perhaps the amount of alcohol in the Cheese Fondue, but I overheated the chocolate and it seized – very disappointing. The taste was not affected but the chocolate lacked that beautiful glossy texture that I had hoped for.

I recommend using a quality chocolate – I used 70% Cocoa (Lindt). To dip, I served marshmallows and fruit (strawberries, kiwifruit and banana), but any seasonal fruit would work well, as well as pretzels, biscotti or diced pieces of cake.

A small glass of Eau de Vie went down nicely with the chocolate fondue and acted as a good digestive after the indulgences of the evening.

Ingredients (serves 8):

400g good quality dark chocolate, chopped
200ml thickened cream
2-3 TBS liqueur (eg. Frangelico, Baileys Irish cream, Grand Marnier, Kahlua)
30g diced unsalted butter

Serving suggestions:
Sliced banana
Whole strawberries
Slices of apple
Orange segments
Kiwifruit slices
Marshmallows
Biscotti
Pretzels

Equipment:
Small fondue pots with tealight candles (I used 2 for 8 people)
Small fondue forks

Method:
1.    Place chocolate, cream and liqueur in a small saucepan over a low heat. Stir until chocolate melts.
2.    Stir the butter through the chocolate mixture until butter melts.
3.    Transfer to a small fondue pot and set over a candle or burner.
4.    To eat, spear fruit or dipper on fondue fork and swirl into chocolate mixture until coated.

THE VERDICT:
What a fantastic way to warm up on a chilly winter night! Having everyone participate in cooking the food at the table was a really fun and different way to entertain, and meant that I as the host could spent the entire evening with my guests (rather than having kitchen duties). As can be seen by the mess that was made, a good time was had by all and despite the large quantities of food I served there were virtually no left-overs!  This is the first fondue party I have hosted and I would definitely do it again.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!