Fondue is a long-standing tradition with my husband's family. It's a great New-Years-Eve meal, with lots of time to sit and enjoy eating. They have always done the hot oil fondue. Last night, I really wanted to try and do cheese fondue. The catch: we don't consume alcohol.
I knew that texture could be an issue when trying to substitute out the alcohol. So, I did some research and everything I read claimed that adding an acid, like lemon juice, would solve the problem. So, I made two different pots of cheese fondue:
Pot 1: chicken broth, lemon juice, emmentaler, gruyere, smoked pavarti (a fabulous cheese! thanks to Harry the cheese guy at Wegmans . . . ), cornstarch.
Pot 2: apple cider, lemon juice, mustard powder, cornstarch, sharp cheddar.
The results: Disappointing. I followed all the advice to melt the cheese "low and slow" with constant stirring. The resulting fondue was grainy in texture, the cheese just refused to incorporate. I tried raising the temperature, adding more lemon juice, whisking, and just about everything I could think of! Finally I had to serve the fondues, which were tasty (the favorite was the traditional Swiss fondue with the emmentaler and gruyere) but lumpy and grainy in texture. I guess this is an item for further study. The food chemistry must prove that something about the alcohol allows the cheese to incorporate. Some friends suggested trying a non-alcoholic wine, but would that make any difference?
The bright spot: the websites I looked at had some great suggestions for dipping. We did the traditional baguette, but also had blanched veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, and mushrooms), cooked steak and shrimp and sausage, and grape tomatoes (surprisingly tasty!). And of course the dessert fondues (chocolate and caramel) were fabulous.
Happy New Year!
YUM! I WANT TO TRY!!! They sounded fabulous! Did you havea a recipe or just throw them together? Wow. Sounded delish. I LOVE this food blog idea- I am definitely going to be a regular. I haven't seen that movie, but you have lots of great recipes that I will be trying soon... loved your hot wings without the bones idea... chocolate chippers are our favorites and my new favorite Sugar Cookie Recipe came straight out of that checked Betty Crocker COokbook! Anyways, lots of great ideas- can't wait to check back and see what else you are up to! ;-)
ReplyDeletePS would it help to run the fondue through a powerful blender at the end to make it frothier and creamier, without the grainy consisteny? I have done that in the past but only have made cheese fondue a few times...