Blog Party: A Retro "Cheesy" Fondue!

When Stephanie announced that the theme of this month's blog party is "Retro", one word screamed out loud at me: FONDUE! For one thing, it is a retro food that I actually love to eat (The same cannot be said about some other retro favorites like jello salad and spam). For another, I own a pretty retro-looking fondue pot, a small red electric one that I bought for a few dollars at a moving sale. A fondue is a delicious way to while away a cold winter evening...huddled around a pot of molten cheese, dipping in crusty bread and potato wedges.

A real fondue consists of cheese melted into wine to make a bubbly sauce. I better announce my disclaimer right now: this is not a real fondue recipe that I am about to share with you. My first attempt at making real fondue was an unmitigated disaster of cheese separating into a grainy awful mess. I turned to Harold McGee's "On Food and Cooking" for help, and learned that it is the acidity in wine that makes for a smooth cheese fondue (the alcohol has nothing to do with it). Any other stabilizing agent such as flour can also do the trick. So that is how I have come up with this faux cheese fondue recipe that works for me.

Easy Cheesy Fondue
(serves 2-4)
Ingredients:
1 tbsp butter
1/3 cup finely minced onions
1/3 cup finely minced green peppers
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 cup brie cheese, rind removed, torn into pieces
1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese/ other cheese of your choice
2 tsp plain flour
1/2-1 cup milk
Pepper to taste
Method:
1. Place all the cheese in a bowl and toss together with the flour to coat.
2. Melt the butter and saute onions, pepper, garlic.
3. Add the cheese a little at a time on low heat, stirring to melt the cheese evenly.
4. Add milk to thin the fondue to your desired consistency.
5. Season with pepper (cheese is quite salty so no more salt should be needed).
6. Pour into a fondue pot if you want to keep the sauce warm at the table.
Serve with slices of crusty bread, roasted potato wedges and fruit such as pears, apples and grapes.

These baked potato wedges are great for dipping into the fondue, or just eating on their own, maybe with a dab of ketchup.
Oven-Baked Fries
Ingredients:
2 medium potatoes
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Wash and scrub the potatoes. Cut into long wedges/fingers.
3. In a bowl, toss together the potatoes, oil, salt and pepper.
4. Spread the potato wedges in a single layer on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, stirring once or twice while baking, till wedges are crispy and golden.
Try these with other seasonings such as garlic powder, rosemary or chilli powder.

This cocktail is my idea of a tasty retro drink, salty and spicy, just the way I like it.
Virgin Mary
For each serving, mix together:
1/2 cup V8 or any other brand of vegetable juice
1/2 cup tomato juice
Dash of tabasco sauce
4-5 drops of lemon juice
Sprinkle of salt and pepper
Serve over ice, garnished with a celery stick. Delicious!
Thanks for hosting, Stephanie, and I look forward to the next blog party!