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!Fondue is Back!

Source of Recipe

Grandpoohbah


Recipe Link: messageboards.ivillage.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=iv-fdcooking&msg=3914.1

Are You Fond of Fondue?
That fondue craze never really went away, and for good reason: it's luxurious, delicious, easy, impressive, and lots of fun! If you want to have a family meal that's out of the ordinary, or a dinner party appetizer that will get lots of oohs and aahs, fondue is the way to go.

Melt It!
Most fondue begins with heating white wine until it reaches the boiling point. The heat should then be reduced and the cheese gently stirred in until it melts. All cheese fondue recipes should contain some sort of starch-preferably potato flour or cornstarch. If you come across a recipe that does not contain starch, you can add some to protect your fondue from separating and curdling. Toss a couple of teaspoons of cornstarch with the shredded cheese just prior to adding it to the simmering wine, or whisk it together with a little bit of kirsch or other liquor to be added as soon as the cheese has finished melting.

Serve It!
For best results, prepare the fondue in a pan on the stove, then transfer it to a fondue pot to stay warm while you're eating it. If the fondue is too thin, turn up the heat a little and stir rapidly until some of the liquid evaporates; just be careful not to let it boil! If it begins to get too thick while everyone is still busy eating, add some more wine, turn up the heat, and stir vigorously until the fondue is smooth; once again, don't let it boil!

Flavor It!
Just like with cheese sauce, the possible fondue variations are endless. Use combinations of different cheeses, stir in garlic, spices, sundried tomatoes, herbs, mustard, or anything else that happens to strike your fancy. And remember, you can dip just about anything into your fondue, as well. Besides a selection of breads, you can serve it with cherry tomatoes; grapes; chunks of celery and carrot; cubes of meat; lightly steamed broccoli, cauliflower, and asparagus; apple and pear wedges; or any other vegetable or fruit that's in season and tastes good with cheese (hint: almost EVERYTHING tastes good with cheese!).