Fondue fun for chilly winter nights in Sonoma County

For those who live in the Swiss Alps, the ritual of dipping bits of bread into a pot of unctuous, melted cheese is not just an excuse for an après-ski party. It’s a traditional symbol of unity for the small European country.

Ever since Switzerland shared its fabulous fondue with the United States at the 1964 New York World’s Fair, however, America has embraced this communal dish as its own, resulting in a wave of fondue restaurants and a party tradition that peaked in popularity in the 1960s and 1970s.

Nowadays, the tradition has become almost a joke: The ’70s are calling, and they want their fondue pot back. But you don’t have to live in Switzerland - or the 1970s - to enjoy this playful and easy style of entertaining with a group of friends this winter.

“It’s a nice dish for a rainy evening or for a neighborhood party,” said Sheana Davis, a Sonoma cheesemaker who does catering through the Epicurean Connection. “It’s really fun, and you can get to know your neighbors better.”

In the past, Davis put on fondue parties at Sonoma’s Bartholomew Park Winery every winter, along with events featuring raclette, another melted cheese dish from Switzerland, and bagna cauda, an Italian dish consisting of warmed oil and herbs that is served in a communal pot, just like fondue.

This winter, Davis has launched a series of pop-up parties at The Starling Bar in Sonoma that will culminate in March with a bagna cauda event.Raclette is a little difficult for the home cook to pull off, Davis said, as it requires an expensive machine with a heating element on top to melt a round of cheese.

“It’s about 450 degrees, so it melts the cheese instantly, and you scrape it off with a knife or spatula,” she said. “Raclette is perfect for an event where someone else will do it for you.”

For her fondue parties, Sheana purchased some inexpensive, enamel fondue pots made by Oster that are electric, so the temperature stays consistent.

“There is the traditional fondue pot with the flame, but you can also make it in your soup pot,” she said, “then put it in a warmed crock pot, and it stays melty and warm on low. Then move the crock pot to the table.”

For her cheese fondue, Davis starts with a mixture of Swiss and Gruyere cheeses, then adds garlic and dry mustard, white wine and lemon juice, along with some cornstarch.

“The cornstarch coats the cheeses so they don’t stick together and gives (the fondue) a smooth, velvety texture,” she said. “It helps thicken it as well.”

With your fondue, Davis suggests serving roasted winter vegetables such as baby carrots, Brussels sprouts and red potatoes, along with some toasted baguette slices.

But you can choose any vegetable you like, from turnips and broccoli flowerets to sweet potato and butternut squash chunks.

Gherkins and pickles are a traditional accompaniment to fondue in Switzerland. Davis likes to make her own pickled red onions, which are quick and easy.

“I love the acidity and sweetness paired with the savory flavor of the fondue,” she said. “The pickled onions expand the flavors and cut the fat.”

The bagna cauda dish, which moved to Argentina along with the northern Italian immigrants, is traditionally eaten in the winter months with a variety of roasted vegetables such as fennel, cauliflower and artichokes.

You can either serve the oil mixture in a rustic clay pot at the center of the table, without a flame, or in an individual ramekin on each guest’s plate. On the side, Davis likes to serve roasted vegetables and potatoes, plus a small artichoke or cauliflower head.

“People like something whole,” she said. “It makes for a nice presentation.”

For the meat, she tends to serve slices of raw or lightly seared filet mignon and cooked sausages sliced at an angle.

“Filet mignon is tender and easy to slice,” she said. “And I like how the sausage absorbs the flavors of the bagna cauda.”

Other ideas for dipping include roasted chicken, breads sticks, toasted baguette slices and tortellini skewers, with the pasta already cooked and tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper.

“I like the shorter skewers with a tie on the end,” she said. “That’s a one-bite thing.”

Speaking of one bite, proper etiquette requires fondue and bagna cauda diners to dip into the communal pot just once per morsel, avoiding the much frowned-upon double dipping. It’s also a good idea for hosts to put out plates and regular forks for each guest, so they can eat the morsels with their own forks.

However, there are no rules about causing someone else’s filet mignon to fall into the pot, then stealing it. That’s just part of the fun.

The following recipes are from Sheana Davis of The Epicurean Connection. With fondue, she suggests serving a light, white wine like a pinot gris or a Riesling.

If you are a red wine lover, you could serve a lighter pinot noir. If you want to substitute local cheeses for the Swiss versions, try blending Valley Ford Highway 1 with Nicasio Valley Cheese Co.’s San Geronimo.

Winter Fondue

Makes 8 to 10 servings

1 pound Swiss cheese, shredded

1 pound Gruyere cheese, shredded

4 tablespoons cornstarch, sifted

1 teaspoon dry mustard sifted

2 garlic cloves, pressed, juice saved

2 cup Sonoma County chardonnay

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon fresh thyme, optional

½ teaspoon chile flakes, optional

Combine the grated cheeses in a large bowl and toss with cornstarch and dry mustard, coating the cheese evenly.

In a heavy bottom pot over medium heat, add the wine, lemon juice and garlic and bring to a simmer. Whisk in salt and pepper, gradually whisk in the cheese mixture.

Once smooth and creamy, taste and adjust seasoning. You can add fresh thyme or chile flakes, if you’d like. Serve with the veggies, bread and pickled onions (recipes below.)

Roasted Winter ?Vegetables and ?Toasted Bread

Makes 8 to 10 servings

20 tricolored baby carrots, peeled and trimmed

20 Brussels sprouts, bottoms trimmed

20 baby red potatoes, trimmed and cleaned, cut in half

20 baby white potatoes, trimmed and cleaned, cut in half

20 slices fresh baguette, for toasting

½ cup olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Toss each individual vegetable with a splash of olive oil and coat evenly, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake each kind of vegetable on its own sheet pan to allow to cook to perfection. Place potatoes cut side up for a nice, golden color. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes or until tender and remove from oven.

Brush baguette slices with olive oil and toast on a baking sheet for 10 to 12 minutes until golden.

Serve veggies and bread warm, with the fondue. (Vegetables and bread can be made one day in advance).

Pickled Onions

Makes 8 to 10 servings

1 cup red onions, peeled, cut in half and sliced thin

1 cup distilled white vinegar

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 bay leaf

½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns

Place ingredients in a small pot and bring to a simmer. Immediately remove from heat and allow to rest for one hour. Place in the fridge and serve with the fondue.

Davis suggests serving the bagna cauda with filet mignon, roasted root vegetables and toasted baguettes (recipe above), bread sticks, vegetable crudités or roasted chicken. Suggested wine pairing: pinot noir or cabernet franc.

Bagna Cauda

Makes 8 to 10 servings

1 cup olive oil

6 tablespoons minced garlic

4 ounces sweet butter, cut into cubes

12 anchovy fillets, chopped fine

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped fine

1 teaspoon fresh parsley leaves, chopped fine

½ cup grated hard cheese of your choice (such as Two Rock Valley Goat Cheese)

In a heavy bottom saucepan over medium heat, heat ½ cup of the oil, add the garlic and sauté, stirring, until soft and golden, approximately 1 minute. Add the remaining ½ cup of oil and butter and whisk, stirring to melt the butter.

Add anchovies, lemon juice, salt, pepper, thyme and parsley and continue to simmer over a low heat and stir until the anchovies dissolve, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the grated hard cheese.

Adjust seasoning to taste. Serve warm in a fondue pot or a clay pot.

Staff writer Diane Peterson can be reached at 707-521-5287 or diane.peterson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @dianepete56.