Fondue For All: A Guide To Melting Pot Perfection

Fondue is a fun and tasty dish, but is it possible to make it without alcohol? The answer is yes! While traditional fondue recipes often include wine or Kirsch to add flavour and reduce the risk of curdling, there are alternative ingredients you can use as a substitute. For example, you could try dry non-alcoholic white wine or light beer, or even just omit the alcohol altogether and use a combination of milk and chicken or vegetable stock. It's also important to note that most of the alcohol will cook out by the time the fondue is ready to eat. So, if you're looking to create a kid-friendly or alcohol-free version of this delicious dish, go for it! Experiment with different ingredients and enjoy the cheesy goodness.

Wine, brandy or beer

Fondue is a dish in which bite-sized pieces of food is dipped into a hot liquid. The liquid can be oil or broth, cheese, or even chocolate for a dessert fondue. The classic cheese fondue recipe includes a dry white wine, such as Chablis, Riesling, or even Champagne. The wine is not just used to flavour the fondue, but its acid also helps to keep the cheese from stringing together. If you want to make a non-alcoholic fondue, you can substitute the wine with chicken broth and lemon juice.

Brandy is another common addition to cheese fondue. It helps to cut through the richness of the cheese and adds complementary fruity flavours. The most traditional cheese fondues suggest Kirsch brandy, which is made from cherries. You can also use cognac, which is of higher quality, or grape brandy. A small amount of brandy is usually added, such as two tablespoons, as compared to half a cup of white wine.

Beer can also be used in cheese fondue. However, there are limited sources that mention the use of beer in fondue. One source suggests substituting beer for wine in a classic fondue recipe.

Bread

If you're feeling ambitious, you can make your own bread. Here are some recipes to try:

• Wholegrain Bread with Walnuts & Gruyère cheese: This bread combines two types of flour with walnuts and Gruyère cheese to create a delicious, hearty loaf.
• Cheeeesy Cheddar Bread: This recipe takes a loaf of sourdough, Italian, or French bread and fills it with butter, garlic, scallions, and two types of cheese.
• French Bread: This classic French bread recipe uses a package of dry yeast, sugar, salt, and water to create a simple, crusty loaf.
• Quick & Easy Cheesy Bread: This bread is made with a combination of warm milk, salt, sugar, water, yeast, egg, butter, and cheese, resulting in a soft and cheesy loaf.
• Ciabatta Bread: This bread has a unique, long shape and a crispy crust. It's made with a biga starter, a combination of yeast, water, and flour, and then additional ingredients are added to create the final dough.
• Rye Bread: This bread has a distinct flavour from the rye flour and is made with warm milk, water, brown sugar, yeast, white flour, salt, and caraway seeds.
• Baguette: This classic French baguette is made with white flour, salt, dried yeast, olive oil, and water. It's baked until golden brown and has a crispy crust.
• Pretzels: These soft and chewy pretzels are a fun alternative to traditional bread. They are made with white flour, salt, yeast, butter, malt extract, warm milk, bicarbonate of soda, and rock salt. You can top them with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or sugar before baking.

When preparing bread for fondue, cut it into large cubes or slices that are easy to skewer and dip. Lightly toasting the bread can also help it hold up better when dipped in the fondue.

Meat

Fondue is a fun and social way of eating food, especially when entertaining. While we often think of fondue as involving a pot of melted cheese, an oil or broth fondue can be just as enjoyable for cooking cuts of meat.

The Best Cuts of Meat for Fondue

The best cuts of meat for fondue are tender cuts of meat, as they cook quickly. For beef, tenderloin or filet mignon are good options, as they will remain juicy and tender. Sirloin is another option that can work well. If you're on a budget, you may need to tenderise the beef by marinating it before cooking, and remember to drain off the marinade before placing it in hot oil to avoid splattering.

For chicken, use skinless, boneless breasts, as they will cook quickly and won't have any sinew or fat. Ensure that chicken is fully cooked, with no pink left in the middle.

Pork tenderloin or cutlets are also suitable for fondue, but like beef, cheaper cuts will be tough and chewy. Ensure that pork is cooked all the way through before eating.

Cooking Meat Fondue

When cooking meat fondue, you can use either oil or broth as the cooking liquid. Broth can add more flavour to the meat, especially if it is infused with herbs and spices. Oil, on the other hand, is more traditional and suitable oils include vegetable, canola, grapeseed, and peanut.

Regardless of the cooking liquid you choose, cut the meat into bite-sized pieces and refrigerate until you are ready to cook. If using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes before cooking to reduce the chance of burning.

Heat the cooking liquid in a heavy-bottomed pan on the stovetop to a temperature of around 375°F (190°C). Transfer the heated liquid to a fondue pot, filling it up to about one-third to one-half full. Place the fondue pot on a trivet to protect the table's surface and turn on the fondue burner to keep the liquid at the correct temperature.

To cook the meat, skewer a piece of meat and dip it into the cooking liquid. Cooking times will vary depending on the type of meat and your desired level of doneness. For example, red meat can be cooked for 30 seconds for rare, 45 seconds for medium-rare, or 1 minute for well done.

Once the meat is cooked to your liking, remove it from the fondue pot and dislodge it from the skewer with a table fork. Meat fondue can be served plain or with a dipping sauce.

Vegetables

Some vegetables that pair well with fondue include:

• Asparagus: Slightly cooked asparagus retains a crunch that pairs well with any type of cheese fondue. Using a long spear of asparagus also negates the need for fondue skewers.
• Artichokes: Use your fingers to dip the cooked leaves in either a broth or cheese fondue, and use a fondue fork to dip artichoke hearts.
• Broccoli: Broccoli can be lightly steamed or blanched to smooth out raw, bitter flavours.
• Brussels sprouts: Roasted Brussels sprouts are a perfect match for mild, nutty cheeses.
• Carrots: Sugar snap peas or cubed carrots that have been lightly blanched work well with either a broth or cheese fondue.
• Peppers: Strips of bell peppers are a colourful addition to any fondue party, and their natural sweetness works well with the savoury cheesiness.
• Tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes can be served raw or roasted.
• Mushrooms: Any variety of mushroom works well with fondue, especially when lightly sautéed.
• Radishes: Raw radishes or steamed baby potatoes like Yukon Gold, fingerling, red, or purple are good options.
• Onions: Sautéed pearl onions or steamed green onions are tasty additions to a fondue platter.
• Eggplant: Lightly grilled eggplant slices are another option.
• Zucchini: Zucchini can be cubed and lightly grilled or steamed before dipping.

When preparing vegetables for fondue, it's important to partially cook or blanch them to ensure they don't fall apart in the cheese. For vegetables that are typically eaten raw, such as celery, carrots, or cherry tomatoes, serving them raw is also an option.

Fruit

When it comes to choosing fruit for fondue, the possibilities are endless. Go for classic options like apples, bananas, strawberries, and pineapple, or get creative with starfruit, kiwi, or mango. You can cut the fruit into bite-sized pieces or chunks, or use small fruits like grapes and berries whole. Threading the fruit onto skewers or toothpicks makes for easy dipping.

If you're feeling adventurous, try freezing the fruit before dipping. Bananas, in particular, freeze up with a texture that feels just like ice cream! Just be aware that some fruit freezes harder than others and may be too difficult to chew.

For a sweet treat, pair your fruit with a chocolate fondue. A simple chocolate fondue can be made with just three ingredients: chocolate, cream, and a pinch of salt. You can also add extra flavours like peppermint extract, cinnamon and chilli, or a splash of liquor.

If you're looking for a more savoury option, cheese fondue is a perfect pairing for certain fruits. Crisp and tart Granny Smith apples and Bosc pears, with their nutmeg and cinnamon undertones, are especially delicious choices.

Frequently asked questions