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.
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