Cheese fondue and some of the fixin's
If you’re still thinking about what to serve for dinner this New Years Eve, here’s a suggestion: Cheese Fondue. This is a fun meal. It lingers, last for hours if you join it with good conversation and don’t eat too fast, allowing nibbling up to the midnight hour for those who aspire to stay up that late – which I try to do, I try…
I’ve been making this recipe on or around New Years Eve for about 25 years. An amusing confession which will raise eyebrows for those who know me now: I was 18 years old, living in NYC, and tore the recipe out of a Cosmo magazine to make a romantic dinner for my then boyfriend. I still have the same old ripped out page which I pull out of my archives most every winter, and each time it goes over very well.
Our favorite for dipping is day old cubes of bread from my Rustic Country Loaf recipe. But pepperoni, sliced apples and cherry tomatoes are all three close runners up. This, started with a small cup of Oyster stew, and followed by a plate of assorted Christmas Candies, completes the New Years Eve celebration and tradition in our home. However, fondue is a good, festive and social (or romantic) meal any time of the year. Keep it in mind. It’s is quite easy, though I do recommend using a real fondue pot and warmer underneath to allow the meal to last a good long time. I hope you try and enjoy!
Cheese Fondue
In a small bowl, combine and set aside:
2 tablespoons dry white wine
2 tablespoons cornstarch
With the fondue pot on the stovetop at a medium heat setting, bring to almost, but not quite a boil:
2 cups dry white wine
Reduce heat to low, and stir in:
3 teaspoons lemon juice
24 ounces Swiss cheese – or a combination of Gruyere, Emmentaler and Jarlsberg if you can find those fancier cheeses.
Stir continually until smooth. It will be lumpy at first, but the cheese will melt and blend. Then add while stirring:
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
6 drops Tabasco sauce
¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Next, add the cornstarch mixture, and continue stirring until mixture bubbles and thickens. Now, set at a low heat over a slow-flame burner on the dinner table, and stir occasionally to keep from boiling or separating.