Fondue & Raclette E-Book

Louise Pickford

• Herausgeber: Ryland Peters & Small
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

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.

Leseprobe

Fondue

& raclette

Fondue

& raclette

INDULGENT RECIPES FOR MELTED CHEESE, STOCK POTS & MORE

LOUISE PICKFORD

photography by

IAN WALLACE

Senior Designer Toni Kay

Senior Editor Gillian Haslam

Editorial Director Julia Charles

Head of Production Patricia Harrington

Production Manager Gordana Simakovic

Creative Director Leslie Harrington

Food and Prop Stylist Louise Pickford

Indexer Hilary Bird

First published in 2022 by

Ryland Peters & Small

20–21 Jockey’s Fields

London WC1R 4BW

and

341 E 116th St

New York NY 10029

www.rylandpeters.com

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Text copyright © Louise Pickford 2022 (see also page 176)

Design and photographs copyright © Ryland Peters & Small 2022

ISBN: 978-1-78879-472-5

eISBN: 978-1-78879-491-6

The author’s moral rights have been asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library.

US Library of Congress cataloging-in-publication data has been applied for.

Printed and bound in China

NOTES

• Both American (Imperial plus US cups) and British (Metric) measurements and ingredients are included in these recipes for your convenience; however, it is important to work with one set of measurements and not alternate between the two within a recipe.

• All spoon measurements are level unless otherwise specified.

• All eggs are large (US) or medium (UK), unless specified as large, in which case US extra-large should be used. Uncooked or partially cooked eggs should not be served to the very old, frail, young children, pregnant women or those with compromised immune systems.

• When a recipe calls for the zest of citrus fruit, buy unwaxed fruit and wash well before using. If you can only find treated fruit, scrub well in warm soapy water before using.

• Ovens should be preheated to the specified temperatures. We recommend using an oven thermometer. If using a fan-assisted oven, adjust temperatures according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Contents

Introduction

Classic cheese fondue

Modern fondue

Cheesy melts

Raclette

Oil fondue

Stock fondue

Sweet fondue

Index

Acknowledgments

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 chill or freeze.

The fondue pan

You can use any type of fondue pan for these recipes, although I recommend a specific chocolate fondue pan, usually ceramic, for delicate sweet sauces. I use an electric fondue which is excellent for all types of fondue. Other fondue pans sit on a trivet or stand above the burner that provides the heat to keep the sauce bubbling. However, if you have a saucepan and a portable heat source, you’re set to go.

Fondue skewers come with fondue pots, often colour coded so diners keep the same skewer throughout the meal. Small bamboo skewers can be cute for sweet fondues. Some fondues come with a set of slotted spoons. I think these are essential for all stock and oil fondues so buy a set if necessary. A ladle is really useful for stock fondues.

The burner

The most universal non-electric heat source is the widely available stainless steel fondue burner. The fuel, a liquid alcohol, is poured in through a central hole and absorbed into a soak pad set under a piece of mesh. Always take care when lighting any type of fuel burner – use a long match or taper. Holes around the top of the burner as well as an adjustable lid help control the flame and put it out safely. Liquid alcohol is odourless and readily flammable. You must take special care not to spill liquid fuel, especially near other flames and keep it well away from the dining table or any table linen or clothes when lighting it. Do not overfill the burner. If planning a children’s fondue party, always make sure an adult is on hand to supervise the burner or candles at all times.

Tealights under a small pan or ceramic bowl can be used for chocolate or delicate sauces.

Raclette

Despite the fact raclette originated in Switzerland, it has made its way into the hearts and homes of most French families. During the colder months every supermarket or grocery store will sell many different flavours of ready-sliced raclette, from plain, to smoked to those dotted with truffles.

Raclette is a high fat, semi-soft cheese with superb melting abilities. It has a mild but rich flavour. Only ever shaped as a disc or ‘wheel’ weighing around 3 kg/6½ lb., raclette has a distinctive reddish rind and very strong smell which mellows beautifully as it cooks. It is matured for 4–6 months. Other cheeses can also be used and I give plenty of options in the recipes. As long as you slice or crumble your chosen cheese evenly, you will have a delicious gooey cheese to serve with anything you like.

The raclette grill comes topped by a hot plate (on which you can actually griddle ingredients or keep things warm – see photo above right) with a slot beneath to hold two or more small trays called coupelles, French for ‘cups’. Each diner takes a tray, adds the cheese slice and pops it under the grill until it is so well melted that it literally slides off onto an awaiting plate. Traditionally raclette is served with boiled new potatoes, cornichons, charcuterie and bread but that really is the tip of a recipe iceberg as you will discover in the exciting range of recipes that follow.

If you don’t want to purchase a raclette grill you can just as easily, albeit it slightly less conveniently, cook the cheese slices on a non-stick baking sheet under a conventional grill/broiler. This can then be placed on the table for diners to help themselves. At a push you could gently fry the cheese in a non-stick frying pan/skillet on the stovetop.

Tips

• Prepare everything ahead of time ready to cook.

• Preheat the raclette or your grill/broiler 5 minutes before ready to serve to heat up sufficiently.

• Always follow manufacturer’s instructions before using and for how to cool, clean and store after use.

I have had a blast researching and developing these recipes and am so excited to share them with you.

Classic Cheese Fondue

Fondue Savoyarde

Hailing from the Savoie region in the eastern Alps just bordering Switzerland, this French fondue is traditionally made with equal parts Beaufort, Comté and Swiss Gruyère. However, true lovers of authenticity would becry this and demand a locally produced Abondance (a semi-hard cow’s cheese named after the breed of cows farmed there) which is similar to Comté. In a French fondue the wine should also be from the region, namely the locally produced Apremont, the best known wine from Savoie. Typical of the area, it is light and dry with floral and mineral undertones. If you can’t find any, then try an Alsace Riesling

1 garlic clove, peeled but left whole

125 g/4½ oz. Beaufort, grated

125 g/4½ oz. Comté, grated

125 g/4½ oz. Abondance or Gruyère, grated

2 teaspoons plain/all-purpose flour

180 ml/¾ cup Apremont wine (or Alsace Riesling)

1 tablespoon kirsch

a little freshly grated nutmeg

freshly ground black pepper

rustic bread, cornichons and radishes, to serve

Serves 4

Rub the inside of your fondue pot liberally with the garlic clove, then chop the remainder as finely as you can. Combine the three cheeses in a bowl and stir in the flour until evenly dispersed.

Place the fondue pot on the stovetop and pour in the wine, add the chopped garlic mixture and bring the wine to the boil. Gradually stir in the cheese mix and continue stirring until it is melted and smooth. Allow to bubble away for a few minutes until the consistency is as you wish. Add the kirsch, nutmeg and pepper.

Transfer the fondue pot to your tabletop burner and invite your guests to spear chunks of bread and dip them into the cheese and eat with cornichons and radishes. Serve with either the well-chilled wine, kirsch or a tisane of herbal tea.

Mont d’Or

with breadsticks

Mont d’Or, or Vacherin Mont d’Or, is a cow’s milk cheese from Switzerland, named after the mountain itself. Wrapped traditionally in a spruce box to help contain the flavours within, it is one of the world’s most celebrated cheeses. Part of the reason for this is it is only produced in winter, meaning availability is limited which, as well as its wonderfully complex flavour, adds to its value. Eaten au naturel, you cut away the top rind and scoop out the unctuous centre, but it’s all about the melt for me. Baked whole in its box, the cheese melts to a gooey, almost liquid perfection and is best served with breadsticks.

1 small Mont d’Or cheese, 490 g/1 lb. 2 oz., at room temperature

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked

60 ml/4 tablespoons Jura wine or dry fino sherry

a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

coarsely ground black pepper

potato crisps/chips, to serve (I’ve used crisps made from purple potatoes)

BREADSTICKS

300 g/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons strong white flour, plus extra for dusting

2 teaspoons dried active yeast

1 teaspoon sea salt

180 ml/¾ cup warmed water

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan

Serves 4–6

To make the breadsticks, sift the flour and yeast into a bowl, add the salt and make a well in the centre. Gradually work in enough water and the oil to form a soft dough, then knead for 8–10 minutes on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Shape the dough into a ball, place in an oiled bowl and cover with clingfilm/plastic wrap. Leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/400°F/Gas 6 and line 3 baking sheets with baking paper.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knock out the air. Cut into thirds and then each third into 10 equal-sized pieces. Using your hands, roll each piece into a thin stick, about 30 cm/12 in. in length, tapering the ends. Place the dough sticks on the prepared baking sheets, brush each with a little water and sprinkle a third with poppy seeds, a third with sesame seeds and a third with grated Parmesan. Bake in the preheated oven for 12–15 minutes until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

Line a baking pan with baking paper. Discard the wooden lid from the Mont d’Or box. Make lots of small cuts in the top of the cheese and carefully poke in the garlic slices and rosemary leaves. Pour the wine and olive oil over the cheese and season with pepper. Place in the prepared pan, transfer to the oven and bake for 25–30 minutes or until the cheese is molten, bubbling and lightly golden. Stir the melted cheese mixture until smooth, then transfer to a platter and serve with the breadsticks and potato crisps/chips for dipping.

Champagne fondue

with pickled wild mushrooms

Add a touch of class to your fondue by adding some Champagne or a quality Crémant sparkling wine – their high acidity levels make them an ideal choice for fondue, enabling the cheese to melt to a rich velvety cream. I like to think I can taste the difference too, although this may be just the added glamour of a good bubbly. Naturally you must serve the remaining bottle as the perfect accompaniment. The mushrooms, brined with a spiced vinegar, are a perfect foil for the rich fondue. Use a combination of whatever mushrooms are available, even button mushrooms are good.

200 g/7 oz. Beaufort, grated

150 g/5½ oz. Brie, diced

150 g/5½ oz. Raclette, grated

1 tablespoon plain/all-purpose flour

180 ml/¾ cup Champagne or Crémant sparkling wine

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 tablespoon kirsch (optional)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

truffle oil, French bread and a crisp green salad, to serve

PICKLED MUSHROOMS

250 g/9 oz. mixed wild mushrooms, wiped clean

125 ml/½ cup extra virgin olive oil

100 ml/⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 garlic clove, sliced

2 sprigs fresh thyme

¼ teaspoon coriander seeds

¼ teaspoon black peppercorns

¼ teaspoon sea salt

Serves 4

First pickle the mushrooms. Cut any larger mushrooms into halves, quarters or slices until all are roughly the same size. Place the remaining ingredients in a saucepan with 50 ml/3½ tablespoons water and heat very gently until the mixture comes to the boil. Add the mushrooms and return to the boil, simmer for 2 minutes and then immediately remove from the heat. Very carefully spoon the mushrooms into a large sterilised jar and cover with all the liquid. Seal with a vinegar-safe lid and set aside to cool. Use as required.

To prepare the fondue, combine the three cheeses in a large bowl and stir through the flour and a little salt and pepper until evenly dispersed. Put the Champagne and shallot in a fondue pot on the stovetop and bring to the boil over a low heat. Gradually stir the cheeses into the pan and continue stirring until completely melted and smooth.

Stir in the kirsch, if using, and transfer the fondue pot to a tabletop burner. Serve with little bowls of the pickled mushrooms, a drizzle of truffle oil and some French bread and follow this with a lightly dressed green salad. Any leftover pickled mushrooms keep well for up to 1 month in the fridge.

Ploughman’s fondue

Growing up in rural England when a pub meal was a simple affair and, in those days, a bit uninspiring, my go-to lunch would likely be a ploughman’s lunch. For those who might never have come across this British pub classic, this comprised a hunk of fresh bread, cheese, ham and pickles, accompanied by an obligatory pint of fine draught beer. This recipe is a homage to those good old days of pub grub eaten around a roaring log fire after a brisk walk in the country. Use a mature Cheddar, or even an aged Cheddar (look for a cheese of around 6 months in age), but make sure it isn’t too hard and crumbly.

1 garlic clove, peeled

500 g/1 lb. 2 oz. mature Cheddar, grated

1 tablespoon plain/all-purpose flour

150 ml/⅔ cup beer – something with full flavour

30 ml/2 tablespoons organic apple juice

2 teaspoons English mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

a few drops of Tabasco sauce

ham slices, pickled onions, cherry tomatoes, lettuce, radishes, spring onions/scallions, white country loaf, to serve

Serves 4

Rub the inside of your fondue pot with the garlic clove, reserving any left over for use in another dish. Combine the Cheddar and flour in a bowl, making sure the flour is well dispersed throughout the cheese.

Place the beer and apple juice in the fondue pot on the stovetop and bring to the boil. Simmer for 1 minute, then gradually stir in the cheese mixture until melted. Add the mustard and Worcestershire sauce and continue stirring until you have a lovely creamy consistency. Finally add a few drops of Tabasco.

Transfer the fondue to the tabletop burner and serve with a platter of the ploughman’s accompaniments.