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Food
Issue date:
Dec. 11-13, 1998
The hottest
old trend in cooking: Fondue
Holiday entertaining dips back
to the '70s to give gooey food a '90s twist.
In this article:
Tips from the fondue experts
Recipes:
Sun-dried Tomato Pizza Fondue
Tiramisu Mascarpone Fondue
Black Bean and Pepper Jack Fondue
Additional recipes
 Elegant Shrimp Cassoulet
Recipes for health
Turkey and trimmings
Web links to more!
By Patty Rhule
 ell-bottoms are back; martinis are back. So is fondue. And like easy-fit
bell-bottoms or flavored martinis, there's a distinctly '90s twist to the new
fondue. "People want to cook things that are delicious, fast and easy. The fondue
fits into today's lifestyle," says Rick Rodgers, author of Fondue: Great Food to
Dip, Dunk, Savor and Swirl (Morrow, $14), which includes the two recipes on this
page. During this holiday season, there's another important plus: Fondue is "good
for home entertaining, or if you want to involve your children in cooking," says chef
Norman Van Aken of the acclaimed Norman's restaurant in Coral Gables, Fla. "It's a
social situation. People will construct something themselves, dip it into cheese
fondue, add a few greens and say, 'Hey, try mine!' " New today, Van Aken says, is "reverse fondue." What's that? Instead of using cheese as the base for a fondue dip,
chunks of cheese are swirled into a cheese-optional dip. For a brand-new reverse
fondue recipe, see Van Aken's Black Bean Fondue at USA WEEKEND magazine's Web site,
www.usaweekend.com.
Go to top Tips from the pros Use the right pot.
Use a large ceramic pot for cheese and large batches of dessert fondue, a
metal-lined pot for oil-based or fried fondues. Small ceramic pots are
perfect for desserts. For cooks put off by the teetering pots of old, the new
generation of fondue pots is sturdier and more versatile. Rick Rodgers likes those by
Calphalon and Le Creuset. Do the two-step. Cook the fondue in a pan on
your stove, then transfer it to the fondue pot for serving. Always make the
cooking liquid a little acidic. Use a dry or semi-dry wine. The acids help
the proteins in the cheese melt smoothly, Rodgers says. And use flavorful liquids and
seasonings - beer or broth, not water. Go beyond bread cubes for dipping.
Rodgers suggests dipping bagel chunks into a fondue of cream cheese and smoked
salmon. "Why not chunks of cooked chicken or shrimp with a traditional Swiss
fondue?" Not all cheeses make good fondue. Work in families of cheeses.
"I might mix a Swiss and a cheddar," says Van Aken. "But I wouldn't mix Swiss,
cheddar and Gorgonzola."Sold on fondue potsWilliams-Sonoma reintroduced fondue pots to last year's holiday catalog and
nearly sold out. Needless to say, they're back this year, and in Crate & Barrel's
holiday catalog.Sales of Le Creuset cast-iron fondue pots are up 20
percent over last year, the biggest surge in five years.As West Bend's fondue sales bubble, a 3-quart pot, the Entertainer, was just added to its
line of electric pots.
Go to top Sun-Dried Tomato Pizza Fondue 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes
(not packed in oil) or sun-dried tomato salad bits
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. crushed hot red pepper flakes
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 3 cups)
4 ounces sharp Provolone cheese, shredded (about 112 cups)
2 ounces freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (12 cup)
1 Tb. cornstarch For dipping:
- Crusty French or Italian bread, cut into bite-size cubes with crust Focaccia, cut
into cubes
- Salami cubes Pepperoni wedges
- Baby artichoke hearts Raw red bell pepper slices
- Raw zucchini wedges
In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring
often, until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, garlic,
basil, oregano and hot pepper flakes. Stir until the garlic is fragrant, about 1
minute. Add the wine and bring to a simmer. In a medium bowl, toss the cheeses with
the cornstarch. Stir in the cheeses, a handful at a time, into the saucepan,
stirring until the first addition is melted before adding another. Let the fondue
come to a bare simmer, but do not boil. Transfer cheese to a fondue pot and keep warm over a fondue burner. Serve immediately with the dipping ingredients of your
choice. Makes 6-8 servings.
Go to top Tiramisu Mascarpone Fondue
 1 tsp. instant espresso powder (available at Italian food stores and supermarkets; or substitute 112 tsps. instant coffee powder)
1 Tb. boiling water
17 ounces mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 Tbs. sweet (not dry) Marsala wine
2 tsps. cornstarch
3 large egg yolks, at room temperature
Finely chopped
bittersweet chocolate, for serving For dipping: - Crisp Italian ladyfingers
- Large whole strawberries with stems attached
- Peaches cut in wedges
In a small bowl, dissolve espresso powder in boiling
water. In the top part of a double boiler over simmering water, combine the espresso
liquid, mascarpone, confectioners' sugar, Marsala and cornstarch, mashing with a
rubber spatula until the mascar- pone has melted and the mixture is smooth. In a
medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks to combine. Gradually whisk in about 12 cup of the
warm mascarpone mixture. Whisk the egg yolk mixture into the mascarpone mixture.
Whisking constantly, cook until the fondue is hot and thickened (an instant-read
thermometer will read 180 degrees), about 2 minutes. Transfer to a ceramic fondue
pot or chafing dish and keep warm over a burner. Place the chopped chocolate in
small, individual bowls. Serve immediately, with the dipping ingredients of your
choice, allowing guests to dip their fondue-covered food into the chocolate before
eating. Makes 4-6 servings.
Go to top Black Bean and Pepper Jack Fondue
by Norman Van Aken
1 medium red onion, chopped, about 1 cup
2 large carrots chopped, about 1 cup
1 large stalk celery chopped. about 3/4 cup
6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 jalapenos, stem and seeds discarded, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 bay leaves, broken
1 tablespoon ground black peppercorns
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/4 cup dry sherry or apple juice
1/8 cup Spanish sherry wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cans (15 ounces) of black beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups (32 ounces) chicken broth
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded pepper Jack cheese (use jalapeno Jack for spicy
version)
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sour cream (optional)
1/4 cup chopped scallions
For dipping:
- Tortilla chips
- chunks of pepper
- Jack or jalapeno Jack cheese
Saute onion, carrots, garlic, celery and jalapenos in olive oil and butter in
large sauce pan until beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in cumin, bay
leaves, black and cayenne pepper, dry sherry and sherry wine vinegar, cook 2
to 3 minutes. Stir in flour and cook 2 minutes longer, stirring frequently.Add beans and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until
thickened. Reduce heat to low, add cheese and heavy cream and cook until
mixture reaches a fondue consistency. Transfer the fondue to an enamel or ceramic fondue pot and keep warm over a
fondue burner. Top with pepper Jack cheese, sour cream and scallions and
serve immediately with tortilla chips. Makes 20 servings
Prep time: 10 minutes; Cook time: 15-20 minutes
Photo Credit: BRIAN LEATART for USA WEEKEND
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