delectation

IMBB VIII: Wine

I didn't think I was going to be able to participate this time 'round -- the theme is to cook with spirit and most importantly, spirits -- wine, liqueur, anything (edible?) with alcohol in it -- but I managed to pull it off today. This weekend has been one of running around, late nights, performances, and seeing old friends and I didn't think I'd have the time to actually get to the stove. But somehow it all came together late this afternoon. I've been wanting to use my Fondue set, and these past few days have been considerably cooler in San Francisco to warrant making some hot melted cheese yumminess. What does that have to do with wine? It's part of any classic fondue recipe of course!

The recipe is as follows:

1 chopped garlic clove
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups grated Gruyere
2 cups grated Emmentaler
2 T flour
1/2 T cornstarch
1 T kirsch
dash of nutmeg
salt to taste

Place wine and garlic into fondue pot, bring to a boil. Toss the cheese with the flour, and once wine mixture is boiling, throw the cheese into the pot in handfuls, stirring after each handful until the cheese is melted before adding more.

Once all the cheese has melted, add the cornstarch mixed with the kirsch. Add nutmeg, salt and transfer fondue to stand over a candle or small pot of sterno.

Serve with cubed pieces of french baguette, slices of red bell peppers, blanched snow peas and haricot verts, baby carrots and bits of sausge (I served kielbasa and bratwurst).

For dessert I broke up about 8 oz. of dark bittersweet chocolate, and melted it with a cup of heavy whipping cream and 3 T of Cointreau. I served the chocolate fondue with strawberries, bosch pears and biscotti. I didn't get to take many pictures since we got engrossed in looking for a random lost remote control (we were about to pop in the documentary Outfoxed), and began to dig in and watch before realising we had quite forgotten the photographs...

IMBB VIII: Raise Your Spirits High, or cooking with wine, or any other kind of spirit
hosted by Donna Marie Zotter of There's a Chef in My Kitchen
IMBB I: @ Il Forno, soups
IMBB II: @ Chocolate & Zucchini, tartines
IMBB III: @ Shiokadelicious, cakes
IMBB IV: @ Chez Pim, rice
IMBB V: @ Mum-Mum, fish
IMBB VI: @ Too Many Chefs, grilling & BBQing
IMBB VII: @ Life in Flow, dumplings
Posted by claudine at September 19, 2004 11:35 PM