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Saturday, February 13, 2010

Guest Marianna Hatten: Authentic Swiss Fondue

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
Marianna Hatten, owner of the HIgh Feather Ranch — a beautiful bed and breakfast near Cerillos — brought this great recipe to the show. Her instructions are perfect, so follow then exactly and you will have great results!

Authentic Swiss Fondue

This recipe comes directly from L'Horizon in Leysin, Switzerland. Serves 4.

Ingredients
1 clove, or more, fresh garlic
1 pound Emmentaler cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon flour
2 cups Sauterne, or other dry white table wine
1/4 pound Gruyere chese, shredded
3 tablespoons Kirsch
sprinkles of freshly ground nutmeg and freshly ground pepper
1 loaf of day-old crusty French bread, cut into bite size cubes

Procedure
Take a large soup pot and rub it with the garlic clove. Whatever garlic is left over, mince or chop and leave it in the pot. Add wine and bring to just a simmer.

Toss together Emmenthaler and flour and begin adding it one handful at a time to the simmering wine. Let the mixture come nearly to a bubble, but not a boil. Stir nearly constantly and whip the cheese and wine together until the cheese melts before adding another handful. Meanwhile, take your fondue pot and fill it with very hot water and let this stand to heat up the crockery or stoneware. When the last of the Emmenthaler is melted, add the Gruyere by handfuls, also stirring and whipping it all together. The fondue should be just bubbling.

At the last minute before serving, add the Kirsch and stir lightly together. You should get a powerful whiff of the liquor but don't let it all burn off on the stove top! Empty the hot water from your fondue pot and pour the velvety, fluffy delight into the pot. Grate some fresh nutmeg and freshly ground pepper on top. Place the fondue pot on the stand with the "sterno" lit, pour the Fendant, pass the French bread and enjoy!

PS: Keep the fondue stirred as it sits in the pot and bubbles away with the heat from the "sterno" flame below. A good 3-4 stirs with the French bread speared, firmly, on your fondue fork should do the trick. In other words, don't just dip; this isn't chocolate fondue. Regardless, a bit of crust will form on the bottom and when the fondue pot is licked clean it is a huge prize to get the crusted, chewy cheese left in the bottom. Also, in case you missed the 1970s fondue craze, if your bread falls off your fork, it is customary to kiss the men or women, or I guess either one you like, at the table. After — puh-LEEEZ! — you have fished your bread out of the bubbling pot.