On Christmas Eve, it's nice to have something special for supper, don't you think? It's a way of kicking off the festivities early, and also of lining the stomach in preparation for midnight mass or the annual festive pub crawl, whichever way your preferences lie.
This year, we made fondue. Because the 1970's were an inspirational decade.
Cheese Fondue (serves 6)
You need:
1 clove garlic
500g Gruyere, chopped into small pieces
500g Emmental, chopped into small pieces
350ml white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
Juice of half a lemon
3 tbsp kirsch
2 tbsp cornflour
To serve:
Lightly steamed vegetables (we used potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli and cute baby carrots), cut into manageable pieces
Crusty bread (slightly stale is perfect, since it keeps its shape), cut into cubes
Method:
Peel the garlic clove and chop finely. Put it into your fondue pot and set over a medium heat. Add the wine and leave until warmed through. Start adding your cheese, handful by handful, stirring continuously as it melts. Add the lemon juice (the acid helps the cheese to break down). As the cheese melts, add in more until all the cheese has been used. This should take about twenty minutes.
In a small bowl, mix the cornflour and kirsch until combined. Stir into the cheese and take the pot off the heat - the mixture should be thick and smooth and smelling divine. Transfer the pot to the burner on the table, set out your dipping bits, and get a-going. Fondue purists will tell you that you should swirl your fork in a figure-of-eight motion (to keep the cheese from sticking). I would say, do whatever gets the most cheese on your fork.
I meant to take a photo of the completed fondue, but I was too eager to eat it. So here's a picture of the empty pot.
For pudding, my sister-in-law made profiteroles, with the best chocolate sauce ever. It doesn't actually contain any chocolate, but it does contain cream, cocoa, butter and sugar. Yes yes yes!
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