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    Fondue & Raclette
    Fondue & Raclette
    Fondue & Raclette
    Ebook308 pages1 hour

    Fondue & Raclette

    By Louise Pickford

    ()

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    About this ebook

    For ultimate winter indulgence, why not try a fondue! Indulge in fun retro food with a modern twist with this collection of delicious recipes created to share with family and friends.

    Starting with the well-known melted cheese fondues from ski resorts around the world, recipes here include classics from the Alps, such as the archetypal Fondue Neuchatel, based on local cheeses and local wines, and the variation Raclette. But there are others, too, such as a Roasted Tomato Fondue and the Italian version, Fonduta and hot oil Fondues to try such as Fondue Bourguignonne. Also included are some delicious lighter choices, like stock fondues where food is cooked in a scented broth – try Fish & Seafood in Saffron & Tomato Broth, and Beef with Horseradish in Red Wine & Juniper Stock. Also included are some up-to-the-minute, stylish Modern Fondues, such as Blue Cheese Fondue with Walnut Grissini. And don't forget the sweet fondues – there's Chocolate with Orange & Chilli, or White Chocolate Fondue with Lemon and Gin.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRyland Peters & Small
    Release dateOct 11, 2022
    ISBN9781788794916
    Fondue & Raclette

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      Book preview

      Fondue & Raclette - Louise Pickford

      Introduction

      Fondues, and the concept of food sharing, gained huge popularity during the 60s and 70s, and I have many fond memories of evenings spent eating, drinking, laughing and sharing stories around a large pot of melted cheese. On the following pages, however, you will discover there is so much more to fondues than cheese, with a wonderful range of oil- and stock-based fondues, chocolate and other sweet fondues, as well as a chapter dedicated to the lesser known, but equally delicious and versatile, raclette.

      Despite many versions of how the modern fondue came to be, one thing is certain – the sharing of melted cheese around a communal pot has taken place for centuries. On the slopes of the Swiss Alps during the cold months shepherds would dunk their bread in cheese warmed over a fire. The word itself stems from the French word ‘fondre’ meaning ‘to melt’, not surprising as France is just a hop, skip or ski over the border and the French are equally happy to lay claim to the dish. Recipes began appearing in the 18th century and specialist fondue, and later raclette, restaurants soon followed. Today both are a staple on ski-resort menus the world over.

      Oil fondues share a similar story, but with pots of oil heated over the campfire by Swiss herders so that skewers of meat could be cooked. This dish was known as Fondue Bourguignon, with the beef likely coming from Burgundy in France. It is entirely possible that it was the French who named the dish.

      Stock fondues or hotpots can be traced to Asia, with the cooking method introduced into northern China by nomadic Mongolian herders who used their helmets as cooking pots over the campfire. The Chinese adapted the original dish and its popularity as a cooking method spread countrywide and eventually beyond. A hotpot is also referred to as a steamboat in some places, especially China, due to the unique shape of the cooking vessel.

      Raclette, unlike a fondue, is not something cooked in a pot, but a cheese of the same name, melted by heating it. Confusingly it is also the name given to the cooking device used to melt it. The cheese, from the Swiss canton of Valais, was for a long time only produced in Switzerland. Today it is made in many places around the world, including France and the US. Taken from the French word ‘racler’, or ‘to scrape’, the exposed side of a half wheel of Swiss cheese was traditionally heated in front of a roaring fire and as it gradually melted, it was scraped onto awaiting plates. In the 1950s a raclette grill machine was invented, allowing restaurants and home cooks to enjoy the experience far more easily.

      Cheese fondues

      A cheese fondue is a combination of at least three ingredients blended together in a special fondue pot over a heat until meltingly unctuous and gooey. The success of any cheese fondue is the balance of both texture and flavour. It should be creamy and elastic but not overly stringy, with the flavour strong but not overly intense, as well as multilayered. Swiss and French cheese fondues are very similar and usually differ only by which cheese(s) are used.

      Only three ingredients are essential: cheese, a liquid and some starch. In order for cheese to melt smoothly in liquid there must be some acidity. As a cheese ripens with age, its level of acidity increases, so ideally use a cheese between 4–6 months in age.

      Traditionally a dry white wine from the Swiss and French alpine regions of the Haute-Savoie would be used. Muscadet or a Chenin Blanc make a good alternative (avoid overly fruity wines such as a Chardonnay). Beer and cider also work well but for an alcohol-free option, use water with 2–3 teaspoons of lemon juice added instead.

      The addition of a little starch helps prevent the splitting or seizing of the cheese in the pan. Plain/all-purpose flour can be added to the grated cheese. Cornflour/cornstarch or potato flour can also be used but must be dissolved in a little of the liquid before being added to the pan.

      The Swiss add a slurp of kirsch for a slight sweet kick to the dish but as you will discover on the following pages, cheese fondues come in a wide range of wonderful and intriguing combinations.

      Italy has a unique version called fonduta made with an Alpine cheese called Fontina with neither alcohol or starch added. Rather, milk is used to melt the cheese in a double boiler, then butter and egg yolks are gradually beaten in to thicken the sauce as it gently heats. The result is a wonderfully creamy and rich sauce, but it can be a little tricky to manage.

      Traditionally cheese fondues are served simply, with bread, boiled potatoes, cornichons and maybe a few slices of ham or charcuterie. But that is only the beginning and hopefully this book will open the door to a brand new world of fondues.

      Cheese types

      The classic cheese fondue is a combination of a semi-hard cow’s milk cheese, traditionally Swiss Gruyère or Emmental, along with a stronger flavoured cheese, maybe a French Comté or mature Beaufort or English Cheddar. These are often blended with a creamy, semi-soft cheese such as Reblochon or Taleggio. I give options for what to substitute in most recipes. There are no hard and fast rules here and you can use one, two, three or even four types of different cheese.

      Tips

      •Unless you use an electric fondue, I recommend you make the fondue in the fondue pan on a stovetop and transfer it to the tabletop burner once it is ready; this will save time and energy and keep it gently bubbling.

      •Avoid ready grated cheeses as they are often harder to melt. I use the fine side of the cheese grater for cheeses that are hard enough to grate. Finely dice or crumble softer, creamier cheeses.

      •Bring the liquid to the boil before you start adding the grated cheese a handful at a time and stir with a silicone whisk or wooden spoon. Make sure you melt each addition of cheese before adding the next.

      •Have a little lemon juice to hand and whisk in 2–3 teaspoons if the mixture begins to separate or split. If added in time it should help. If not, then sadly you will need to start afresh with new ingredients.

      •The fondue is ready when all the cheese is melted, the sauce is thick and gloopy and will easily cling to a piece of bread dipped into and extracted on a skewer.

      Oil fondues

      Vegetable or sunflower oil is heated in a pan and diners skewer ingredients to fry in the hot oil. Born from the original Fondue Bourguignon (see page 6), oil fondues are now international in flavour and accommodate almost any combination of ingredients threaded or speared onto skewers and cooked in the oil once it reaches its optimum temperature (the success of a fondue is ensuring the oil is hot enough to cook the food safely). Most ingredients cook fairly quickly, in 2–4 minutes. Preparation of meat and fish is important with different marinades or rubs to add flavour and serve a range of dips, sauces and accompaniments with the fried ingredients.

      I recommend using an electric fondue – they are sturdy and stable with an inbuilt thermometer to keep the oil at the correct temperature to ensure the food, particularly meat, is cooked through safely.

      Tips

      •Prepare everything ahead of time ready to cook.

      •Invest in a sugar/candy thermometer to ensure the correct temperature for deep-frying is reached (180°C/350°F). Test the oil temperature with a small cube of bread – once in the oil it should start to bubble immediately and take 20–30 seconds to crisp.

      •A meat probe is useful to ensure chicken or pork is cooked thoroughly. Chicken is cooked when the internal temperature reaches a minimum of 75°C/167°F and pork a little lower at 71°C/160°F.

      •Heat the oil in your fondue pan on the stovetop to save time, but be careful when carrying hot oil to the table.

      •Only ever put enough oil in your pan to come one third of the way up, so the oil will not spill over at any point.

      •Only cook one type of food at a time (ie cook meat separately from fish or veg) to ensure even cooking.

      •Change the oil after each use as it can easily taint your next dish, allowing the oil to cool completely before disposing of it somewhere environmentally safe.

      Stock fondues

      My favourite type of fondue is a hotpot or steamboat. The success of this type of fondue will be determined by the flavour of the liquid itself – the flavour will increase the more you cook in it. There is little to distinguish hotpots from steamboats other than the type of cooking vessel used to cook the broth. The hotpot is a saucepan-shaped pot that can be cooked either over a burner or can be electric, with its own heat source. A steamboat is the name given to the doughnut-shaped pot, where a ring sits around a central chimney. The heat source sits at the base of the chimney and is some type of burner. However, any fondue pot can be used, or even a saucepan, as long as you have a heat source on the tabletop.

      Popular throughout south-east Asia, stock fondues provide wonderful banquet-style meals with tables laden with meat, fish, vegetables, noodles and aromatics. Versions are found around the world and any food that can be poached may be cooked this way.

      Tips

      •Prepare everything ahead of time ready to cook.

      •Start with items that take the most time to cook, such as pieces of meat or bigger shellfish like lobster or crab, working through to those that cook quickly, like thinly sliced meats, delicate fish, veggies and noodles.

      •Prepare the stock on the stovetop and keep or return it to boiling point before transferring it, taking great care not to spill any, to the tabletop burner.

      •Keep the stock at a constant simmer as you cook the ingredients. A meat probe is useful to ensure meat or poultry are safely cooked through (see left).

      •The flavourful stock can be eaten with or after everything else. It also makes the perfect base for a soup or sauce for another dish. Allow the stock to cool, then

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