Dipping Back
“Great cheese is at last finding a place in Los Angeles,” says La Brea Bakery founder Nancy Silverton. “We’re selling more than ever at the bakery and serving more cheese plates at the restaurant.” In fact, at Campanile, the La Brea Avenue restaurant she runs with her husband, Mark Peel, Thursday is Grilled Cheese Night: Silverton and an assistant turn out eight to 10 varieties in an old-fashioned sandwich press behind the bar.
And so it was only a matter of time before Silverton would decide to explore that other miraculous cheese and bread combo, fondue. That’s right, dust off those harvest gold and avocado green fondue pots. Fondue is back.
If you’re thinking of those gloppy messes too many of us made in the 1960s and ‘70s with cheap wine and so-so cheese, think again. When Silverton and Tina Wilson, former chef de cuisine at Campanile and now an instructor at the Southern California School of Culinary Arts, decided to throw a bring-your-own-fondue-pot party, they took advantage of the abundance of great cheese now available. And great cheese can make all the difference in fondue.
If you never got to experience fondue in its heyday and have no fondue pot of your own, there’s no need to prowl vintage shops--unless you’re set on an avocado green pot. Fondue is in the air, and cookware shops are stocking up on several models, including some in clean white ceramic that bear little likeness to the thin-walled, groovy-patterned models prevalent in the ‘70s.
Fondue (“melted” in French), showcases the pronounced flavors and fine melting qualities of rugged, long-aged Swiss cheeses. It’s basically a mix of cheese and wine--the acid breaks down the protein to smooth the mixture--simmered in a shallow earthenware pan called a caquelon and sopped up with chunks of white or rustic bread. The Swiss consider it an art form to create a magnificent dish from so few ingredients.
Among the most interesting Swiss cheeses used are the alpage cheeses, made from the rich raw milk of well-nurtured cows that graze Alpine meadows more than 5,000 feet in altitude. Alpage cheeses are site-specific, the equivalent of French appellation-designated wines. Proportions used for fondue are determined by what the cheese adds to the recipe, sort of like seasoning with cheese--a base of Gruyere or Emmentaler for sweet, nutty tang, a dash of Appenzeller for spice, perhaps a piece of Vacherin Fribourgeois to smooth the mix.
“A fondue is a living thing,” says Caroline Hostettler, Swiss owner of Quality Cheese, importer of artisanal Swiss cheeses. “Each time, you never know how the cheeses will react with each other. Vacherin will save any fondue, making it round and harmonic.”
A cut clove of garlic is rubbed over the surface of the pot and then left in the bubbling mixture for flavor and for its reputed digestive properties. Kirsch (cherry brandy) is added for the same reasons. “Fondue is down to earth, not a fantasy cuisine,” Hostettler says. “It’s today as it was always.” (Clearly, the curried cheese chutney fondue that emerged in the ‘70s was not a Swiss invention.)
As Silverton and Wilson planned the party, they took inspiration from historical references, old cookbooks, the nature of the cheese--and the fondues Wilson’s mother used to serve around the coffee table in the living room.
“At first, everyone rolls their eyes at the idea,” Silverton says. “Mark’s position is, ‘I didn’t like it the first time.’
“But fondue is a wonderful communal meal,” she continues. “And I’ve wanted to experiment with these delicious artisanal Swiss cheeses we’ve been getting. I thought how wonderful this could be with truly fine ingredients.”
On a recent Sunday, several guests arrived at Silverton and Peel’s Hancock Park house bearing fondue pots: Some were souvenirs of trips to Switzerland and China (Asian hot pots); others were near-ancient wedding presents. A good number of the guests poured into the restored butter-and-sage Craftsman kitchen ready to help.
In the rough-and-tumble exuberance of the Silverton-Peel household, Silverton remained unflappable as she improvised recipes, directed traffic, consulted with Wilson and answered the phone. Five-year-old Oliver, the youngest of Silverton and Peel’s three children, helped his mom peel garlic and his dad make mayonnaise. Longtime friend Bob Miller, the chef who gave Silverton her first job, patiently grated mountains of aromatic cheese. As the tempo picked up, Wilson quietly and efficiently kept things moving forward.
Silverton and Wilson created three cheese fondues reflecting the three national influences on Switzerland: a classic Swiss Neuchatel fondue (named for the Chablis-like wine used), beer or Bavarian fondue, and fonduta from the other side of the Alps, the Piedmont region of northern Italy.
Outside on the patio, surrounded by new wisteria vines, Peel grilled vegetables and bread in the couple’s brand-new outdoor fireplace, taking occasional breaks on the huge trampoline at the far end of the yard with Oliver and 4 1/2-year-old guest Isabel.
Soon half a dozen brightly colored and fragrant fondue pots emerged from the kitchen. No one waited for directions. Our California proclivity for experimentation overtook any sense of order.
“Did you try dipping the radicchio in the Swiss fondue?” someone called out, and there was a mass migration to the creamy mixture bubbling in the hand-painted caquelon. Earlier, as Wilson gradually added handfuls of grated cheese to barely simmering wine, she talked about her love for “the boozy quality of fondue”--not a taste I remember liking in 1973. But this fondue was a revelation--a well-balanced fusion of its components, an entirely new taste.
“You’ve got to try the beef with the roquefort sauce,” one guest insisted.
“No, try it with the horseradish cream,” said another dipper.
The “flame red” Regal electric fondue pot holding a mixture of oil and clarified butter--a much better alternative, Silverton found, than plain oil, which can lead to oil-logged meat--drew an active crowd. “I have the yellow fork,” one dipper said. “That’s my red one,” said another. “Can you put this in the oil?” asked a less aggressive dipper who couldn’t fight her way through the bodies.
The tender cubes of filet developed a tantalizing brown crust after sizzling in the butter-oil mixture for a minute. Immediately sprinkled with coarse salt, the meat was delicious even without any of the four dipping sauces. But, truth be told, most skipped the salt and dipped their meat, then asparagus spears, then plain bread into the dipping sauces arrayed around the meat pot.
It soon became a game of culinary musical chairs. Everyone had a little trouble getting the hang of “dipping etiquette.” With the precision of a Swiss watch, guests are supposed to swirl their fondue forks in a figure eight--in one direction--to keep the cheese amalgamated and from sticking to the bottom of the pot. We were definitely not to the Alpine lodge born.
At first there was some tentative, shallow dipping, as though to say, I’m not sure how I feel about this and it’ll have fewer calories if I don’t dip deeply. Then there were the individualists, spinning their bread cubes through the cheese, and the rebels, who refused to play by the rules without first understanding the rationale of the prescribed movement. A few swirled and twirled figure eights with grace.
The most “ahhhs” emerged around the fonduta, traditionally a wildly luxurious meld of Fontina d’Aosta soaked in milk, cooked with butter, eggs and plentiful shavings of white truffles, and poured over polenta, potatoes or rice. (Several regional Swiss fondues are also thickened with egg yolk and poured.) To give their fonduta its characteristic earthy tones and not take out a bank loan, Silverton and Wilson used truffle butter, a less expensive alternative to white truffles and available at specialty stores. They added a little aged Provolone for punch.
“You have to try the beer fondue,” said Silverton of her favorite cheese fondue. It was the most robust of the three cheese fondues, a cross between a German-style fondue and Dutch Kaaspott (cheese pot). Golden, aged Gouda (the Netherlands’ answer to Parmagiano-Reggiano), sharp, sweet and crumbly, was smoothed out with Comte (a French Gruyere) and simmered with pilsner beer, meaty bacon, whole-grain mustard and chopped parsley.
A fondue party wouldn’t be complete without chocolate fondue, which actually was invented for a Toblerone promotion at the 1966 New York World’s Fair.
Silverton’s version added caramel “to echo that ropiness one gets in a classic cheese fondue.” She arranged whole fruits--bananas, blood oranges, apples and strawberries--for guests to cut, which made the fondue an even more sensual experience and dessert’s preparation very easy. Once again, innovation was the name of the game, and the winners were roasted, salted almonds tucked into a chunk of banana and then dipped, and the divine combination of walnut bread and chocolate.
As the afternoon wound down and the kids trailed chocolate-caramel fondue on their way back to the trampoline, there was one more delicious ritual left to go. When the cheese fondue pot was almost empty, we turned the heat to low and allowed the last of the fondue to cook to a golden crust. We pried out what looked like a giant lacy cheese wafer and divided it among the few of us still hovering by the caquelon. In Switzerland, this delicacy is called la religieuse and is considered the ultimate dessert for a fondue meal. Some even fry an egg on it. It was tasty all right, but chocolate-caramel fondue just may be more of a religious experience.
This time everybody loved fondue. Even Mark Peel.
MENU
Swiss Fondue Neuchatel
Beer Fondue With Whole-Grain Mustard and Bacon
Fonduta With Truffle Butter
Beef Fondue With Four Sauces
Chocolate Caramel Fondue
Beef Fondue With Four Sauces (Fondue Bourguignonne)
Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Use very lean meat with little connective tissue. Silverton and Wilson made their own mayonnaise for the fourth sauce, Caper Mayonnaise. However, diced red onion, capers, parsley and thyme added to commercial mayonnaise will work.
2 pounds beef tenderloin
Clarified butter
Canola oil
Coarse sea salt
Coarse black pepper
Caper Mayonnaise
Roquefort Sauce
Horseradish Cream
Salsa Verde
* Remove all fat and sinew from beef. Cut into 1-inch cubes and arrange on serving platter.
* Combine equal parts clarified butter and canola oil in electric fondue pot to fill 1/2 full. Heat oil until very hot, 375 degrees on candy thermometer or until cube of bread will brown in less than 1 minute.
* Spear cubes of meat 1 at a time on fondue forks and place in hot oil, about 30 seconds for rare and 1 minute for medium-rare. Meat should have crisp brown exterior. Maintain temperature of oil because it will drop as more meat is added.
* Place salt and black pepper in individual bowls. Dip meat in salt and pepper to taste. Remove meat from fondue fork to individual plates and dip in Caper Mayonnaise, Roquefort Sauce, Horseradish Cream or Salsa Verde.
6 servings. Each serving without sauces: 225 calories; 81 mg sodium; 75 mg cholesterol; 14 grams fat; 0 carbohydrates; 24 grams protein; 0 fiber.
Roquefort Sauce
Active Work Time: 10 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 30 minutes
1 shallot, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons Sherry wine vinegar
Coarse salt
1 cup creme frai^che
1/4 pound Roquefort, crumbled
Coarsely ground black pepper
Lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced chives
* Macerate shallot with Sherry wine vinegar and pinch salt in small bowl for 20 minutes.
* Stir in creme fraiche, Roquefort and salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste. Refrigerate until needed. Fold in chives just before serving.
1 1/2 cups. Each 1/2 teaspoon: 9 calories; 17 mg sodium; 3 mg cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 0 carbohydrates; 0 protein; 0 fiber.
Horseradish Cream
Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 10 minutes
1/4 cup finely grated fresh horseradish or bottled white horseradish with no additives
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 1/4 cups sour cream
Coarse salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
* Combine horseradish, vinegar, lemon juice, sour cream and salt and pepper to taste in bowl. Taste and add more horseradish, lemon juice, salt and pepper if needed. Refrigerate until needed.
1 1/2 cups. Each 1/2 teaspoon: 4 calories; 4 mg sodium; 1 mg cholesterol; 0 fat; 0 carbohydrates; 0 protein; 0 fiber.
Salsa Verde
Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 20 minutes
6 anchovy fillets, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons capers, drained and coarsely chopped
4 large cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
Coarse salt
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh marjoram
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Freshly cracked pepper
* Grind anchovies, capers, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 2 tablespoons olive oil into paste with mortar and pestle or in food processor. Add parsley, marjoram and mint and grind to coarse paste. Slowly add remaining 14 tablespoons olive oil, stirring to incorporate.
* Stir in up to 1 tablespoon lemon juice to taste just before serving. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
1 1/2 cups. Each 1/2 teaspoon: 14 calories; 12 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 2 grams fat; 0 carbohydrates; 0 protein; 0.01 gram fiber.
Beer Fondue With Whole-Grain Mustard and Bacon
Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 25 minutes
Aged Gouda is generally available, but a sharp, aged Cheddar may be substitututed. Gruyere, preferably aged, can stand in for the Comte.
1 pound 2 ounces aged Gouda, grated
1 pound 2 ounces Comte cheese, grated
2 tablespoons potato starch or cornstarch
1 (2-ounce) piece slab bacon
2 1/2 cups beer, preferably lager or pilsener
1/4 cup whole-grain mustard
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons lemon juice
* Toss Gouda and Comte in mixing bowl to combine. Sprinkle potato starch or cornstarch over cheeses and toss gently with fingers to evenly distribute starch. Set aside.
* Lightly brown bacon piece on all sides in 4-quart pot over medium to low heat. Add beer and bring to just below simmer.
* Gradually add cheeses by the handful, stirring constantly with wooden spoon in figure-8 motion in 1 direction, until each addition is melted. When mixture is smooth and bubbling, add mustard, parsley and lemon juice and cook 2 to 3 minutes.
* Pour into warmed fondue pot and set over warmer. Serve with Normandy rye bread cut into cubes.
6 servings. Each serving without bread: 369 calories; 782 mg sodium; 102 mg cholesterol; 27 grams fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 22 grams protein; 0.02 gram fiber.
Swiss Fondue Neuchatel
Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Emmentaler can be subsituted for the Vecherin Fribourgeois. You can also substitute equal amounts of Emmentaler and Gruyere, using neither the Vacherin Fribourgeois or Appenzeller.
14 ounces Vacherin Fribourgeois, grated
14 ounces Gruyere, grated
1/2 pound Appenzeller, grated
2 tablespoons potato starch or cornstarch
2 large cloves garlic, lightly crushed
2 cups white wine, such as Neucha^tel, Chablis or Riesling
2 teaspoons lemon juice
5 to 6 tablespoons kirsch or to taste
Cracked black pepper
* Toss Vacherin Fribourgeois, Gruyere and Appenzeller in mixing bowl to combine. Sprinkle potato starch or cornstarch over cheeses and toss gently with fingers to distribute starch evenly. Set aside.
* Rub inside of 1-quart pot with garlic, leaving cloves in pot. Pour wine and lemon juice into pot and slowly heat over medium heat to just below simmer.
* Gradually add cheeses by the handful, stirring constantly with wooden spoon in figure-8 motion in 1 direction, until each addition is melted. When mixture is smooth and bubbling but not boiling, add kirsch and black pepper to taste and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Season with lemon juice, kirsch or black pepper as needed.
* Pour into warmed fondue pot and set over warmer. Serve with Bavarian rolls, walnut bread or other dark or light bread cut into cubes.
6 servings. Each serving without bread: 389 calories; 408 mg sodium; 90 mg cholesterol; 27 grams fat; 3 grams carbohydrates; 25 grams protein; 0.01 gram fiber.
Fonduta With Truffle Butter
Active Work Time: 30 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 4 1/2 hours
The egg yolks in this fondue will cause it to curdle if kept at too high a heat. Truffle butter is available at specialty stores, but 3/4 cup butter and 1/2 pound chopped sauteed mushrooms can be substituted.
18 ounces Fontina d’Aosta cheese, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 1/2 cups milk
8 egg yolks, beaten
3/4 cup truffle butter, at room temperature
3/4 pound aged Provolone, grated
2 teaspoons lemon juice
* Place Fontina in heat-proof mixing bowl and cover with milk. Set aside at room temperature to soften at least 4 hours or overnight.
* Place cheese and milk mixture over pot of barely simmering water and stir constantly until cheese is melted. Mixture will separate with melted cheese on bottom and milk on top. Remove bowl from water and cool about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to release heat.
* Combine egg yolks and truffle butter. Whisk egg yolks and truffle butter into cheese and milk mixture very quickly. Place over pot of simmering water and stir until warm and combined, about 5 minutes.
* Gradually add Provolone by the handful, stirring constantly, until each addition is melted. Add lemon juice and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
* Pour into warmed fondue pot and set over warmer. Serve with grilled ciabattini or other bread rubbed with garlic and grilled potatoes.
6 servings. Each serving without bread or potatoes: 511 calories; 961 mg sodium; 301 mg cholesterol; 44 grams fat; 2 grams carbohydrates; 28 grams protein; 0 fiber.
Chocolate-Caramel Fondue
Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 25 minutes
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 cups whipping cream
1 vanilla bean
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 pound unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa
3/4 cup brandy or to taste
* Put butter and 1 cup cream in saucepan. Split vanilla bean and scrape seeds into saucepan and add pod. Heat over medium heat until butter is melted and cream is hot, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
* Heat corn syrup over medium-high heat in separate saucepan. When it begins to bubble, add sugar 2 tablespoons at a time, stirring with wooden spoon after each addition until sugar is completely dissolved. Cook, stirring 1 to 2 times, until pale straw color, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat.
* Stir butter-cream mixture into sugar mixture. (It will spatter and seize up.) Return saucepan to medium-high heat and stir until caramel mixture melts and color resembles commercial caramels, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in chopped chocolate until melted and evenly incorporated.
* Pour remaining 1 cup cream into same saucepan used to heat cream and butter and cook over high heat until reduced by 1/2, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cocoa. Stir cream-cocoa mixture into caramel-chocolate mixture. Stir in brandy. Strain.
* Serve warm with such fruits as strawberries, bananas, blood oranges, apples.
8 to 10 servings. Each of 8 servings without fruit: 318 calories; 78 mg sodium; 57 mg cholesterol; 21 grams fat; 26 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.15 gram fiber.
Marinated Olive Mix
Active Work Time: 30 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 3 days
Any mix of nonmarinated olives with their pits will work. Cut the lemon and orange zests in big strips, being sure to remove any white pith.
1 cup Kalamata olives, drained
1 cup black oil-cured olives
1 cup large green olives, drained
1 cup Nicoise or Picholine olives, drained
Zest of 1 orange
Zest of 1 lemon
4 (3-inch) rosemary sprigs
4 thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
2 whole dried chiles de arbol
1 1/2 tablespoons black peppercorns
1 1/2 tablespoons fennel seeds
3 to 4 cups extra-virgin olive oil
* Combine Kalamata, black, green and Nicoise olives, orange and lemon zests and rosemary and thyme sprigs in large mixing bowl. Set aside.
* Toast bay leaves, chiles, peppercorns and fennel seeds in small skillet over medium-high heat, tossing occasionally, until fragrance is released, 2 to 3 minutes. Be careful not to burn seeds. Add bay leaves to olives. Break chiles in half and add to olives. Place peppercorns and fennel seeds on cutting board and crush with bottom of pan, then add to olives.
* Pour oil over olives until they are covered by at least 1/2 inch of oil. Marinate at room temperature or in refrigerator at least 3 days and up to 1 week. If refrigerated, bring to room temperature before serving. Save oil for another use.
4 cups. Each 2 tablespoons: 47 calories; 236 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 1 gram carbohydrates; 0 protein; 0.32 gram fiber.
Quick Pickled Onions
Active Work Time: 20 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 1/2 hours
These onions are best if made 2 to 3 days ahead. They will keep refrigerated up to 1 month.
2 cups white wine vinegar
4 cups water
2 tablespoons pickling spices
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup kosher salt
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 pounds small onions (pearl, boiling or cipolline), peeled and trimmed
* Boil vinegar, water, pickling spices, sugar, salt, peppercorns, bay leaves and fennel seeds in saucepan over high heat for 5 minutes. Add onions, reduce heat and simmer until onions are crisp-tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool in brine. Refrigerate 2 to 3 days.
8 servings. Each serving: 55 calories; 489 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 0 fat; 14 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.67 gram fiber.
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Cook’s Tip
To clarify butter, heat it in a small saucepan over low heat until it melts and separates. Spoon off any foam on top and clear, clarified butter, leaving milky residue in pan.