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FeedSkinny Dipping
The healthier side of fondue
By Berit Thorkelson
Photo by maki strunc photography
food styled by lara miklasevics
styled by kathleen behrens
food styled by lara miklasevics
styled by kathleen behrens
The practice’s European roots date centuries before that infamous era when any truly groovy party included polyester loungewear and an avocado green fondue pot. Back in the 1700s, Swiss folk first heated wine and hardened cheese scraps into a sauce to soften stale bread during long, cold winters.
Today, those flame-warmed pots often host a range of concoctions—savory to sweet—and the items skewered and dunked range from traditional to gourmet. Fondue has also become healthier. The only hard-and-fast necessities that remain: a good chunk of time and hungry people with whom to enjoy it.
At The Melting Pot’s sleek, low-lit downtown Minneapolis location, it’s broth, not oil, that bubbles in most of the main-course pots set atop burners built into marble tabletops. “We probably sell bouillon 90 to 95 percent of the time,” co-owner and general manager Dave Ahern says. “It adds more flavor. It’s lighter, healthier, and a lot easier to cook with. And things don’t burn if you get talking and forget about them.”
Asian cooking styles, such as Japanese shabu-shabu, triggered experimentation with bouillon, Ahern explains. When teaching fondue classes at Cooks of Crocus Hill in St. Paul, he urges students to think of fondue broths as soups. They, too, can take on worldly influences, as seen with his French- and Caribbean-style broths (see recipes). Dried-soup packets also work well, he says. Just add water and seasonings to taste. Heat broth to a rolling boil on the stovetop before transferring it to a fondue pot with its own heat source.
Since each diner cooks his or her own meal, preparation—basically, cutting ingredients into bite-sized pieces—takes up the bulk of fondue labor. Some hosts prefer to assign each guest an ingredient, then do the prep work over cocktails as a group. For ingredients, think beyond steak and chicken. Ahern ticks off things he’s tried: venison, buffalo, pheasant, swordfish, scallops, and oysters. “Pretty much anything can adapt to this style of fondue,” he says.
Photo by Maki Strunc Photography
Cheese was the first type of fondue Dan Lessard introduced 18 years ago when he took over The Times, where it’s served with baguette, tart Granny Smith apples, chilled baby red potatoes, and cubed ham. “It’s really good with grapes, too,” he says. Lessard’s biggest piece of advice for at-home cheese fonduers is to thicken the mixture, slowly, just enough so it sticks to the bread. “Take your time,” he coaches. “Actually, the whole process is about patience. It’s cool that way.”
While The Times does cheese fondue in traditional, Swiss style, The Lowell Inn adds cream to the mixture (see recipes). “The wine and cheese are less likely to separate, and it’s mellower for the American palate,” head chef Eric Schultz explains.
Lessard encourages experimentation with different cheeses, as well as different chocolates for a dessert fondue (see recipes). Grind in ingredients that pair well with chocolate, including vanilla bean, almonds, or hazelnut, and serve with a variety of dippables, such as strawberries, bananas, marshmallows, and pound cake. “Let your imagination go nuts,” he says. “Just use high-grade ingredients that you love. And don’t rush it.”
Berit Thorkelson is a St. Paul freelance writer.
For fondue recipes, please see our September 2007 Savvy Host Recipes. More information on resources for this story can be found in our Buyer's Guide.
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