Day 49: fondue for two

Fondues offer that relaxed kind of dining; friends and family gather around a bubbling vat of something hot and dip in whatever pairs best with the molten liquid in question. They are the ideal situation for catching up on tales and gossip – like any dinner gathering – but without the need to rush in worry of anything getting cold. They are often filling enough as they are to warrant not needing to keep getting up and down from the table to clear plates between courses, meaning the only reason you should need to leave the table is to fetch more wine or a fresh batch of dippable goods.

I was very fortunate to be able to experience quite a few fondue dinners on special occasions while growing up, but these were hot oil fondues; frying foods that actually needed to be cooked - as opposed to cheese or chocolate ones where you can dip in ready-to-eat bits. My Nan would normally set it up so that two fondue pots were on the go at the same time; one for meat and one for fish. Or, maybe, just so that there was one within arm’s length for everyone at the table; I am unsure whether the mixing of the oil for the fish with the oil for the meat was an issue then or not. Probably not! For the fish, she would make a bowl of batter for dipping before frying. It was kind of like cooking your own dinner at the table and I loved it. My Mum would also do hotplates: granite slabs heated through to a high temperature in the oven and then placed over burners, perfect for cooking fish, prawns, scallops and steak on the go and by the mouthful. As an only child, these were the kind of dinner parties I loved to be at; perfectly happy cooking my own dinner and surrounded by family. Yes, that meant being close to very hot oil and rock, but I assure you I was monitored closely at all times and was perfectly capable of understanding what could burn me. I would also like to reiterate that this lavish eating was on special occasions only, not every weekend!

The first cheese fondue I did a couple of years was a bit of catastrophe. It was actually this same recipe from Nigella and the fondue vat that I had then was a ceramic one (bought on sale many years prior). To cut a long story short, the ceramic vat fractured and split in half (on the table) and the molten cheese went everywhere. A minimal amount of waste was ensured, however, as we took to the table with pieces of bread to mop up the molten – rapidly hardening – cheese from the tabletop. Let’s hope I remembered to wipe it down before dinner! Jokes aside, it could have been very dangerous and luckily it didn’t happen while carrying it to the table.

In the Christmas following, one of my best friends brought me a red enamel cast iron fondue pot, and last year my Nan gave me her two 30-year old cast iron fondue pots. As the red one still hasn’t been unpacked from when we moved in, 18 months ago now, I used my Nan’s old one to finally enjoy Nigella’s Cheese Fondue – without the cheese disaster.

Nigella’s Cheese Fondue

As we cannot currently entertain large crowds, this was a fondue for two. That did not, however, make it any less enjoyable; it’s important to stop as a household and enjoy the magnetic power that food has to bring us all together, and a dinner like this certainly removes any urge to rush away from the table.

I used a mix of Camembert, Gruyere, and Jarlsberg, and I did cut the thicker rind from the sides of the Camembert to enjoy a smoother dipping experience. We used red and green radicchio spears, bread, and some Frikadellen - that I heated through first - as our cheese couriers of choice. I couldn’t get kirsch from any of my usual haunts so I used a little brandy in its stead.

Flavour musings

These are my favourite kind of dinners, not just because they taste amazing but because they last for a long time and allow you to engage in relaxed tableside banter. Most things that start, or end, with cheese are destined for greatness in my opinion, and Nigella’s Cheese Fondue is no exception; dipping bread and other eatables of your choice into molten cheese and booze, makes for ridiculously good dinnertime socialising - even if it just the two of you. Although to be fair, I’d be perfectly content alone, too.

If you’re on a diet, lactose intolerant, or just don’t like cheese then this one is not for you, but for me - be still my beating heart - this is the stuff of dreams. I know cheese-choice plays a big part in the taste of your fondue, but the wine and brandy add a reviving punch that I think removes the cloying creaminess that this amount of cheese would perhaps have on its own. The nutmeg, which I’ve never had with cheese before, added a nutty warmth to nicely round off this yellow-tinted vat of comfort.