cheese fondue
2014-05-26 a.o.
Cheese melts are quick and easy. I often line a small ramekin with strips of cheese and melt them in the microwave for a quick snack.
A large cheese fondue (Fr. melted) is wonderful, but it has a huge calorie load. Buying several imported cheeses at once is also expensive when there will be only two for dinner. Even with ham mixed in and a few other things on the side, I find a cheese fondue more monotonous than a meat fondue. That is another reason I won't make a big deal of it very often.
To do this right—specifically what cheeses to use—we need to look at how the specialists do this, i.e. the Swiss and the French.
- Mix several gooey melting cheeses together to get a flavor you don't know from eating a piece of cheese. At least one should have a stronger taste than the others (e.g. gruyere.)
- Stay away from the American hyper-processed 'cheese products.' Most of those will separate instead of melting and mixing with the rest.
- Warming the cheeses too quickly or too hot will also result in separating the cheese into oil and a plastic-like ball of milk solids that is nearly inedible.
- Adding some liquid and stirring while melting the cheeses may help to avoid separation.
A. Large cheese fondue
Who doesn’t like ham and cheese?
This is a nice appetizer, and the ham gives it a bit more flavor variation. I wouldn’t recommend it as a full meal without adding several side dishes like bread, vegetables, seafood etc. All cheese is quite heavy on the stomach.
To save some time,
I will melt the cheese stovetop over low heat, and then transfer the mixture to an electric deep-fryer with a thermostat. That thermostat is a lot easier to set accurately than tea candles or alcohol burners.
The ‘warm’ setting is ideal for cheese fondue.
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Mince the cheeses and ham.
(Pic2)
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Warm the liquid you will use to prevent the cheese from separating. (milk, wine, etc.)
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Optional: make a roux
- Heat the butter.
- Stir in the flour and fry the mixture for a few minutes without letting it brown.
- Add the warm wine and let the mixture thicken.
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Add the cheese little by little and let it melt before adding more.
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IMPORTANT: Reduce heat to melt the cheeses or they will burn and separate even with the liquid.
If too thick, add some milk. The cheese mixture has to be very thick and nicely elastic. (Pic5+6)
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When the cheese is melted, stir in the ham and mix thoroughly. (Pic4)
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Keep warm until serving time and stir occasionally to prevent settling. (about 120 ºF)
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For a full meal, place the fondue kettle on the table; serve with bread, vegetables, seafood, etc.
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For (large) appetizers, serve in ramekins in individual portions. (Pic1)
2016-11-03
Pic2: Swiss, gruyere cheese
Pic3: slice, dice, chop
Pic4: melt, add ham
Pic5: I use a deep-fryer with thermostat to melt large fondues
Pic6: thick and gooey
Pic7: served2015-12-28
Pic8: bread in the melting pot
Pic9+10: two different presentations of the same fondue
Cheese fondue - the poor man's recipe.
For the little that I need for a snack for myself, it's just not worth making the fondue set or deep-fryer dirty.
These are just a few of my one-serving cheese melts.
They can be ready for melting in less than two minutes if you cut quickly, three if your knife is a bit slower.
Find the combination and proportions that you like best. Start with cheeses that you already like with at least one stronger flavor. Stay away from American hyper-processed cheeses. They taste like plastic.
Hurry, eat up right away, because this cools down very quick without tea candle. I use a teaspoon to load the bread, otherwise it tends to get lost in there when I dip. Reheat for up to 30 seconds if it hardens too much. By adding extra liquid in there, it may even stay pourable at room temperature.
I prepare this little snack quite often, about one or twice a month, don't take pictures of every occasion.
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Cut the cheese in small pieces. Transfer to an oven-proof ramekin.
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Add 1-2 tbsp. milk, cream, wine or another liquid as you prefer that day.
This will prevent the cheese from separating.
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Add S&P, any spices you like for this.
I like to add a dash of chipotle. (Pic12)
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Heat in the oven or microwave until the cheese begins to melt.
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Remove and stir more liquid into the cheese.
The cheese needs to be very thick but also very smooth without lumps.
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Heat further until all the cheese is bubbling.
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Serve immediately with some sliced toast.
2019-08-07
Pic12: cheese, condiments, liquid
Pic13: melt and mix
Pic14: enjoy
- Experiment with different spices and cheese combinations.
2019-08-13 + 2019-08-31
Pic11: cheddar cheese makes it yellow
Pic16+17: with ham
- Experiment with adding things that go well with your choice of cheeses.
2020-03-23
Pic18-20: with ham and chamoy.
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Red wine will also color the cheese, although less intensely pink than this.
For those smaller appetites when even a ramekin is too much, I sprinkle or cut some cheese on a slice of bread and microwave for 30-90 seconds until the cheese is bubbling all over. Enjoy.
Pic21: Brie cheese melt
Pic23+24: gruyere cheese
2014-05-02
Pic24: gorgonzola crumbles
Pic25: melt in microwave
Pic26: with cucumbers
- Gorgonzola or other blue cheeses taste very intense, but can be very satisfying if you like them.
- Cucumbers form a nicely mellow contrast here.
Pic1: large cheese fondue with ham
Pic11: personal fondue