Everything Old Is Fondue Again

If a fondue pot brings forth images of shag carpeting and avocado-green kitchen appliances, consider this: In the past four years, The Melting Pot, a national chain of fondue restaurants (founded in Maitland, Fla., in, appropriately enough, 1975), has expanded from 63 to 132 outlets, with more than a dozen in various stages of development.

"Everything comes back around again," said Lenny Rice, who with Brigid Callinan wrote "Fondue" (2007, Ten Speed Press).

"I think fondue has become a lot more popular because of the social aspect" of people gathering around a pot, dipping and engaging in conversation, said Hallie Van Natta, manager of The Melting Pot fondue restaurant at 8955 S. Eastern Ave. (there's another at 8704 W. Charleston Blvd.).

"It's just fun, almost an adventure in eating," Rice said. "It's very obviously hands-on, really great for a cocktail party" as well as for a sit-down dinner.

Van Natta said while The Melting Pot's growth has been fairly steady, the trend flowered in the past few years.

"You could go anywhere and find fondue pots for sale again," she said, "just like before."

In fact, Rice thinks that the availability of those pots -- and the more updated materials used to make them -- had a lot to do with fondue's resurgence in popularity.

"All those guys making the new modern pots kind of got people excited about it all over again," she said. Among the draws, she said, are improved fuel systems for a more steady, even source of heat, and materials such as enameled cast-iron, which distribute heat better.

"We just know a lot better how to hold food now," Rice said. But while the new pots are more efficient, she said, "they're not as much fun."

She has a collection of about 15 fondue pots, but "when I have parties, I always break out the old ones, because they're just way cool," Rice said. And she maintains that the problems inherent with the older pots actually are part of the fun.

"Back in the old days, you kind of just had a candle, and it would burn the bottom" of the cheese mixture in the pot, she said. "The Swiss, when they get to the bottom, they usually crack an egg on that, or they'll just scrape it out and eat it by itself."

And cheese is, after all, how fondue got started. Rice and Callinan's book notes that fondue -- from the French fondre, to melt -- was born in the Swiss Alps in the 18th century and represented a way to use cheeses that had become hard and dry during the winter. Local wine was added to prevent scorching, they said, Kirschwasser (cherry brandy) if the cheese needed a little zip and cornstarch or flour to keep the cheese from separating.

During the past few centuries, however, the concept of fondue has expanded to encompass pretty much anything that involves dipping something on a fork or skewer into something else. And so we have oil-based fondues, broth-based fondues and the piece de resistance chocolate fondues. And more.

Van Natta said that in addition to its various cheeses (usually the appetizer) and endless variety of chocolate combinations (usually the dessert) fondues, The Melting Pot offers four cooking styles for the main course -- the oil-based Bourguignonne plus the broth-based Court Bouillon, Coq au Vin and the spicier Mojo. Van Natta said Coq au Vin is the most popular, with people tending to avoid Bourguignonne because of health concerns.

Most customers, she said, get four courses -- cheese, a salad, an entree and chocolate -- especially if it's their first time and they're still learning the ropes. Others, she said, might come in just for cheese and chocolate.

Rice said she likes to experiment with different cheeses, especially artisan cheeses. And she pointed out that using offbeat dippers can add a lot of variety to your fondue. One of the recipes in her book mixes Cowgirl Creamery Red Hawk cheese and Bellwether Farms Carmody. For dipping? Fig Newtons.

"It's pungent," Rice said. "When you dip something sweet into it, it's really nice."

And Callinan, a pastry chef, devised a Mexican chocolate fondue with churros for dipping, she said.

"If we have parties we'll set out all kinds of different accoutrements that go into the fondue," Rice said.

Rice uses candle-heated or electric pots for chocolate, since Sterno and liquid fuel produce a heat that's too intense. And at parties, she said, she likes to put various pots in various spots in her house.

"It's great," Rice said, "if you're having people over for cocktails, and they can wander around and find something melty."

CHAMPAGNE VELVET

20 ounces Taleggio cheese, rind discarded, cubed

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup blanc de blancs (sparkling wine)

For dipping: Toasted baguette cubes and/or grapes, apple chunks, pear chunks, quartered fresh figs, spears of Belgian endive, roasted onion quarters, chopped toasted walnuts

Toss the cheese with the flour in a bowl and set aside. In a fondue pot, bring the wine to a boil over medium-high heat. Decrease the heat to low and add the cheese mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until melted after each addition. Serve immediately.

Notes: From Italy's Lombardy region, Taleggio is a rich, semisoft cheese with a thin rind of orange mold. Though it has a pungent aroma, its flavor is sweet and mild, with a hint of yeastiness. It gets runnier and more flavorful as it ages. Excellent with fruit, Taleggio is also traditionally served with bitter salad greens such as radicchio. Taleggio is available at varying stages of ripeness, and a younger, firmer one is recommended for this recipe. It will be easiest to remove the rind and cut up the Taleggio while it is very cold.

Makes 3 cups

-- Reprinted with permission from "Fondue" by Lenny Rice and Brigid Callinan

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT WITH FRANGELICO

10 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup hazelnut butter (unsalted)

11/4 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup Frangelico or other hazelnut liqueur

For dipping and sprinkling: toasted baguette cubes and/or marshmallows, banana chunks, strawberries, shortbread cookies, marble cake or sour cream pound cake cubes, chopped toasted hazelnuts

Place the chocolate and hazelnut butter in a large heatproof bowl and set aside. In a heavy saucepan, combine the cream, salt and sugar and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate mixture. Let the mixture sit for several minutes, then whisk gently until smooth and the chocolate is completely melted. Whisk in the liqueur, then pass the mixture through a fine mesh strainer. Transfer immediately to fondue pot and serve.

Notes: A semisweet chocolate with 50 to 60 percent cacao, such as Valrhona Caraque or Callebaut Semisweet, is recommended for this recipe. Try to find a chocolate with nutty undertones, rather than fruity or winey flavors that can compete with the hazelnut. Hazelnut butter is available at natural-foods stores and specialty markets.

Makes 4 cups.

-- Reprinted with permission from "Fondue" by Lenny Rice and Brigid Callinan

SUMMER FRUIT WITH PRALINE FONDUE

1/2 cup crème fraîche

1/2 tablespoon dark brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans

Assorted fresh fruit (such as grapes, berries, cherries, and plum and peach wedges)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons water

21/2 tablespoons dark rum

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat together crème fraîche and 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar in a medium bowl, then transfer to a small serving bowl.

Place pecans in another small serving bowl.

Place crème fraîche and nuts on platter and surround with fruits.

Melt butter in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Increase heat to medium-high and add brown sugar and water. Stir mixture 1 minute (mixture will bubble vigorously) and then stir in rum and vanilla extract.

Transfer butterscotch to bowl.

Spear fruit with skewers and dip into the butterscotch, then the nuts and crème fraîche.

Serves 4.

-- Recipe from Bon Appetit magazine

Contact reporter Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0474.