Image: Aimee Custis Photography (Flickr)
If you find yourself craving some comfort in the cold, dreary, and rainy days ahead, look no further. Comfort comes calling by way of a cheesy fondue. Fondue will warm your spirits and bring out your inner child; dunking food into gooey pots of cheese is fun. Depending on whether you want to make your own fondue or let someone else do the work, here are a couple of fondue options in Kitsilano for you.
Burgoo Bistro
2272 West 4th Ave | burgoo.ca
Burgoo Bistro is well-known for serving up food for comfort. This includes not one, but two types of fondue: Fonduemental, with molten Gruyère and Emmenthal cheese, white wine and kirsch; and the Brie Fondue, with roasted garlic, honey and white wine. Both are served with cut red apple, grapes and crusty bread for dipping.
les amis du FROMAGE
1752 West 2nd Ave | buycheese.com
This gem of a cheese shop will not only grate a perfect blend of cheese for your fondue mix, they provide a recipe and you can even borrow a fondue pot. They also have a selection of accoutrements for your fondue, such as gerkins, pickled onions and olives.
Classic Fondue Recipe
Source: les amis du FROMAGE
Ingredients
- 1 garlic clove cut into two pieces
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch (or potato flour)
- Salt & Pepper
- Nutmeg (freshly grated is preferred)
- 500 gr grated cheese
- 1 ¼ cup dry white wine
Method
- Rub inside of fondue pot with garlic
- Toss cheese with cornstarch
- Heat wine in a sauce pot on the stove
- Add a pinch of salt and pepper, and a dash of freshly grated nutmeg
- Stir in cheese mixture gradually and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes until mixture is thick and smooth, stirring frequently
- Transfer to a fondue pot and serve with bread or other desired dunkables
If you’re wondering what to dunk into your fondue try big shards of crusty bread, blanched broccoli and asparagus, or roasted cauliflower and potatoes. For a little cheese-on-cheese action, dipping cheese puffs or cheese sticks into your fondue will take it to the next level of euphoric comfort. Everything is better with cheese after all.
Because it’s made almost entirely of cheese, wine pairs well with fondue. A dry Riesling, a fruity Gewürztraminer, or a light red Pinot Noir would all cut through the richness of a cheese fondue.
And in case you didn’t know, tradition states that if a piece of bread falls off a man’s fork into the fondue pot, he must buy a round of drinks. If a woman loses her bread in the pot, she must kiss all her neighbours.
A perfect Valentine’s Day dinner, don’t you think?
Last modified: January 27, 2016
