Fondue has made a major comeback. There are now, in 2009, restaurants solely devoted to serving this communal form of food. But you don't have to go out to sample the flavors of fondue; you just need the right supplies. And in the case of cheese fondue, the most important ingredient is the cheese.
Cheese Selection
It is critical that the type of cheese or cheeses you choose for your fondue are melting cheeses. Hard cheeses, such as parmesan and asiago, are best for grating and do not melt well. Leave them out of your fondue pot.
Instead, soft cheeses work best, such as Swiss, brie, gorgonzola, cheddars and goat cheese. The type of cheese you choose will depend on what items you wish to serve. You can also consider combining cheeses to make unique and interesting flavors. Some good combinations are cheddar and mozzarella for an Italian-themed fondue or gruyere, emmentaler and appenzeller for a traditional Swiss fondue.
Cheese Preparation
If the cheese you are using has a rind, be sure to remove it before you place it into the fondue pot. Some cheeses need little to no preparation, such as cream cheese and goat cheese. Simply scoop the required amount of cheese into the pot. Other cheeses, however, will need to be grated or sliced. Cheddar, for example, melts best when broken into smaller pieces. Otherwise, you risk having your fondue congeal into a globby, thick mess.
Fondue Preparation
The traditional way to make cheese fondue is with the use of a fondue pot. These can be bought at some grocery stores and most houseware stores. The set should come with the fondue pot, a stand for the pot and several skewers used to dip food into the pot.
If using a fondue pot, you will need to buy fire gel, a substance that can be purchased at camping stores, online or some specialty culinary stores. Although you will need to initially melt your ingredients in a pan, this substance, also known as Sterno, will create the heat below the fondue pot to keep your ingredients hot.
If you do not own a fondue pot, you can use a shallow pot or saucepan to create your cheesey fondue concoction. Just make sure to use a lower level of heat so that you do not run the risk of melting off all the liquid in the recipe and burning the cheese.
Serving Suggestions
Many foods pair well with cheese fondue. Consider using chunks of cooked chicken, pork or beef in a cheddar-based fondue. Seafood can be wonderfully paired with Swiss or cream cheese. Even fruits can be paired with certain cheeses, such as apples and sharp cheddar or grapes and brie. And of course, the most universal dipping substance for cheese fondue is bread, which makes a great pairing no matter what cheese you decide to use.
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