Two Fabulous Fondues

A Fondue Supper is easy, quick, and fun.  There are two kinds of fondue pots: the metal ones are best for Fondue Bourguignonne and the traditional ceramic pot for Cheese Fondue.  For both of them it is best to have a table that is low enough for the diners to see into the pot.  I used to have a round coffee table with floor cushions for guests to sit on.  Now I use one of my end tables (which is lower than my dining table).


To make the Fondue Bourguignonnne  you will need a good cut of beef.  Cut any fat off from the edge of the meat and cut into bite sized pieces.  You will also need oil for the pot and three or four sauces.  The sauces can be homemade or purchased.  I made three easy sauces:  Horseradish Sauce, Sweet and Sour, and Sauce Duxelles.  

Horseradish Sauce

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon horseradish

Top Right: Horseradish Sauce
Top Left: Sauce Duxelles
Lower Middle: Sweet and Sour Sauce

1 tablespoon chives

Salt to taste

Mix together and serve

Sweet and Sour Sauce

1 cup Hot and Spicy catsup

3 tablespoon wine vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

Dash salt

Mix together and serve.

Sauce Duxelles

2 tablespoons butter

3 cups thinly sliced mushrooms

Each guest has their own fork to cook the meat

2 tablespoons minced onion

1/2 cup Sherry

1 can concentrated beef broth

Dash pepper 

2 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon melted butter

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in skillet.  Add mushrooms and onion. Cook, stirring 5 minutes.  Add wine and cook for 1 minute.  Add beef broth and pepper.  Simmer 5 minutes.  Make beurre manie by mixing flour and 1 tablespoon melted butter together and add to the sauce, stirring until thickened.  Makes about 3 cups.

Cheese Fondue

To make Cheese Fondue it is most successful if you have a ceramic fondue dish.  With either fondue, it is

Bread from the bakery Bleu in Mammoth Lakes

traditional for each person to have a long fork preferably a different style or marked with a colored dot on the end for each person to be able to recognize their own fork.  If your bread (in the case of Cheese Fondue) or your meat falls into the pot while it is cooking- you must kiss everyone else at the table or pay for the meal if you are dining out.  When making the cheese version, choose a loaf of fresh bread from a reputable bakery.  The bread is passed around the table where each diner breaks off a piece to put on their fork and dip into the cheese sauce. 

Cheese Fondue

1/2 pound Gruyere cheese (preferably imported)

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

1 clove garlic

1 cup white wine

Salt, pepper, nutmeg to taste

3 tablespoons Kirschwasser (cherry brandy)

1 loaf French bread

Grate the cheese and dredge with flour.  Rub the fondue pot with a cut piece of garlic.   Pour in wine and set the pot over a low flame on your stove top.  When the wine has small bubbles rising (not a full boil), stir with a fork and add a handful of the floured cheese.  Dissolve each handful completely before adding another.  

When all the floured cheese is added and melted, add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  Then add the Kirshwasser.  Remove fondue from the stove and set on the fondue pot with flame under the stand.  

Pass the bread around the table with the pot in the center.  Adjust the flame if necessary.  When the cheese is all gone, a circle of browned cheese remains in the center.  I like to pry if off and nibble on it.  To me this is the final treat to the meal.  

Dipping the Bread in the Cheese