ab 19 Uhr im H-14

I first tried this spectacular recipe for Thanksgiving in 2008 when it first appeared in Gourmet magazine…the sight of an entire pumpkin being brought to the table, warm and slightly browned, is only topped by the taste of the yummy cheese, broth and cream that is scooped from within. I have since served this a few times at dinner parties and the pumpkin never ceases to delight and surprise my guests. This year, I used a smaller pumpkin (about 4 pounds) which proved to be the perfect size amongst the other antipasti being served.  And once again the filling disappeared quickly with yummy sighs of delight all around.

Roast Pumpkin with Cheese “Fondue”

From Gourmet magazine, November 2008

1 (15-inch) piece of baguette, cut into 1/2 inch slices

1 (7-lb) pumpkin

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg

2 1/2 cups coarsely grated Gruyere (6 oz)

2 1/2 cups coarsely grated Emmental (6 oz)

1 Tbsp. olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F with rack in lower third of oven. Toast baguette slices in 1 layer on a baking sheet in oven until tops are crisp, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.

2. Remove top of pumpkin by cutting a circle (3 inches in diameter) around stem with small sharp knife. Scrape out seeds and any loose fibers from inside the pumpkin with a spoon (including top of pumpkin, reserve seeds for another use if desired.) Season inside of pumpkin with 1/2 tsp. salt.

3. Whisk together cream, broth, nutmeg, 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper in bowl.  Mix together cheese in another bowl.

4. Put a layer of toasted bread in bottom of pumpkin, then cover with about 1 cup cheese and about 1/2 cream mixture. Continue layering bread, cheese, and cream mixture until pumpkin is filled to about 1/2 inch from top, using all the cream mixture. (You may have some bread and cheese left over.)

5. Cover pumpkin with top and put in an oiled small roasting pan. Brush outside of pumpkin all over with olive oil. Bake until pumpkin is tender and filling is puffed, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. Enjoy….

NOTE: Pumpkin can be filled 2 hours before baking and chilled.

(serves 4)

You will need:
- 1 can of dry cider or half bottle of dry white wine
- 3tbsp cornflour                           – 1 500g hard cheese (an assortment is best)
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 400g chopped tomatoes          - 500ml chicken stock (or vegetable stock)

Dunkers:
- boiled new potatoes
- bread chunks                           – cherry tomatoes
- cubed chorizo                         – mushroom chunks



Mix the cornflour with a heated slurp of the cider or wine to form a paste. Slowly melt the cheese in the remaining cider or wine, bringing to a simmer and then add the paste to this.

Season and keep warm over some tea lights. Don’t let it burn!

Use some skewers with the dippers prodded on to dunk in your fondue.

The day job seems to be taking over again. I keep forgetting to have breakfast, but slowly become more gastro-0rientated by tea time.

I have not really had time to start a food experiment this week and probably won’t get a chance to, so instead I am going to plan something for next week that has a french theme, as on Monday I will be in Paris. Maybe I will eat nothing but croissants all week?

No i’m not Giles Coren or do I wish to be supersized…but I am looking forward to spending the weekend and beyond in lovely Paris, staying near Fauchon, Ladurée and Hediard (of course)..looking forward to a Michelin starred meal on Sunday evening – a wedding on the Seine with great food, what more could you ask for?

• Maybe some dancing girls covered in Jerusalem artichokes?
• A big swimming pool sized bowl of Artisan du Chocolat – Chocolate salty balls?
• A fast car full of duck confit?

Sorry. Trying to mix my fantasies there.

Anyway, the collation is nearly there. tho I have been having a few problems with a few exports and feeds and as I have not put up a proper WordPress blog (working on it in my spare time) everything is a little squiffy. Not to worry will have it sorted soon.

Having fondue chinoise for dinner this evening as I can’t be arsed to cook and am having people round, bit of chopping and a little sauce making and poof – we are cooking (with methylated spirits!)

Hi friends!  Hope ya’ll kicked off this short holiday week to a great start

After work today I was really excited to repeat Saturday’s workout again — I know I know, bad Fanatic, but I usually switch it up friends and this one was so good that I needed just one more dose

Last time around:

20 min Cardio Max Bootcamp + 15 min P90X Ab RipperX = felt for the next 24 hours and it was great!

This time around:

Same workout, same place, sweating within 2 minutes & an amazing workout in such a short time!  Abs are feelin’ it too… ahh felt wonderful!

Oh and guess what, we are quickly approaching day 30 of The Man’s P90X adventure so you know what that means!!  Update pictures to come probably around Wednesday just in time for the holidays.  Let me just tell you that the results so far are far past my expectations… and let’s just say that I am one happy lady

Quick update:  K sorry friends, I’ve just been informed that I can’t post anything until the 90 days are up (ummm yea, that was a minor misunderstanding on someone’s party eh hmmm not me  ) I’m really sorry friends!!

Dinner tonight was more of the leftovers from last night’s birthday dinner but with a twist! (Mom cooked for 80 haha love you!)

Probably one of the only times you friends will see the same meal pics 3 times in a row haha, but for realz it’s just so good!

Of course there was the bacon & onion mac n’ cheese

And too go with I made up  a quick salad with some homemade croutons using the leftover frozen CheeseCake Factory bread! 

Toasted up in the oven at 425F for about 10 minutes with some cooking spray, salt, pepper and oregano until crunchy   Love random ideas like this on a whim!

Piled high on top of some romaine, onion & sprinkles of this guy

And voila!

Of course you know what I did from here…. it’s just too good!  (+ Italian dressing & hot sauce?)

All together now

We have some serious TV to watch tonight fireside… unfortunately Gossip Girl is a repeat but ah well!

And pretty soon it’ll be time to heat up some leftover fondue on a commercial break!  Oh and get this, Mom made the fondue with Fat Free evaporated milk so erase some of that guilt right there!

Tomorrow night looks for some fun sister cooking adventures and perhaps the return of one of my fave meals (she’s a vegetarian, there’s your hint )

There will probably be some wine consumption occurring as well considering no work Wednesday is in full effect this week!

Alright you peeps, gotta run, see ya tomorrow

Am Samstag haben wir uns den Traum erfüllt, endlich einmal im Fondue-Tram durch Zürich zu fahren.

Dazu haben wir zwei waschechte Touristen aus Berlin eingeflogen, mit welchen wir uns getarnt haben.

Zur Einstimmung haben wir uns mit weissem Martini mit (wichtig) drei Eiswürfeln und Radieschen in Stimmung gebracht. Das muss man jetzt nicht verstehen.

Aber bald darauf war es soweit. Da stand es endlich. Ein Tra(u)m in Weiss. Unser Fondue-Tram. Unser Zuhause für zwei Stunden. Begeisterung! Begeisterung!

Wir ruckelten den Hang hinauf, den Hang hinunter, im Kreis herum, die Strassen rauf, die Strassen runter. Quer durch die Stadt und wieder zurück. Wir rührten so wild mit unseren Brotstücken im Fondue, dass die Scheiben beschlugen. Wir winkten den Autofahrern und Passanten zu und die winkten zurück und dachten sich: So nette Touristen aber auch. Die Trefferquote bei unserem Tisch lag bei zwei von vier möglichen Punkten. Bravo.

Vollgefressen, durchgeschüttelt aber nicht minder glücklich spuckte uns das Fondue-Tram nach zwei Stunden wieder aus. Und wisst ihr was? Wir würden es wieder tun. Jeder sollte das mal tun. Wir sind gerührt und geschüttelt!

Lust bekommen? Here you go: http://www.vbz.ch/vbz_opencms/opencms/vbz/deutsch/Angebote/Extrafahrten/FondueTram/index.html

PS. In der Schweiz sagt man das Tram, nicht die Tram – dies einfach noch so nebenbei…

Un update dal vecchio post sulla fonduta bourguignonne.

salsa bourguignonne: mettete del burro (non poco, cuciniamo francese) in un pentolino, aggiungete circa 300g di funghi misti freschi e dei porcini secchi (qb, a seconda di quanto sono saporiti..) e fate rosolare pochi minuti. aggiungete un paio di bicchieri colmi di vino rosso e lasciate cuocere per una decina di minuti. il vino si sarà abbastanza ritirato, frullate il tutto e aggiungete timo e alloro. lasciate riposare un pochino e servitela tiepida.

Lieve variazione, appena sperimentata: ho aggiunto una cipolla bianca con i funghi, ho messo l’alloro insieme al vino – così ha insaporito meglio il vino, ho aggiunto un po’ di pepe alla fine e non ho messo il timo.

Il prodotto mi pare migliore.

This is definitely going to be short and sweet. I have an early morning tomorrow. I have to get up at 6 AM on a Saturday!!! Gah! But it is for a good cause. I am walking on the St. Jude Give Thanks Walk in Charlotte. I am also a volunteer for the event and have to be there an hour early to help with set up. I will be sure to take a nap sometime tomorrow afternoon.

I was so excited to get off of work today. Not only had I been super sleepy all afternoon, I was excited for the plans we had. As soon as I got home I hopped in the shower so I could get ready. We had a 6:45 PM reservation at The Melting Pot. Yummy!

This November is The Melting Pot Charlottes 20th anniversary and they are running a bunch of specials. Tonight only they were having a $20 per person special for 3 courses (cheese fondue, salad, and entree). This is a great deal, for The Melting Pot. On the other occasions Brian and I have gone to The Melting Pot it has cost at least $40 per person.

Since they were running this special I decided to invite my parents along to enjoy the great food with us. My Dad was coming up from Columbia, SC and met us there.

As usual, it was awesome! We started out with the Cheddar Cheese Fondue.

It was a combo of medium-sharp cheddar and Emmenthaler Swiss cheese with garlic, seasonings, and a domestic beer base.  I think this is my favorite cheese fondue that we have tried. We ate all of the veggies and green apples (not pictured) but left a lot of the bread because we were trying to pace ourselves.

My Dad is modeling the gooey, deliciousness of the cheese for me.

Next up was salads. I had the Spinach Mushroom Salad with a Burgundy Shallot Vinaigrette. I live tangy vinaigrettes and this was right up my alley. Although there were a few too many mushrooms for my taste and the red onions were pretty big.

There was bacon on it too. Yay for bacon!

And our entree. There was a lot of food. We each got 3 chicken cubes, 2 salmon, 3 shrimp, 2 filet mignon, and 2 teriyaki sirloin.

We decided on the court bouillon to cook them in. We also had broccoli, mushroom caps, and red potatoes. And we can not forget all of the sauces: green goddess, gorgonzola, teriyaki, plum, curry yogurt, and cocktail!

Our table was packed. And I ate everything on my plate except for one piece of chicken plus a few pieces of broccoli and potato.

Then we figured we might as well have dessert while we were there. We got my fave the Flaming Turtle! Milk chocolate, caramel, and chopped pecans served with pound cake, brownies, strawberries, rice crispy treats, marshmallows, bananas, and cheesecake. I was so excited about it I totally forgot to take a picture. Sorry!

Now it is time for lights out. Night!

Do you know how you can make a good cheese taste even better? Let it sit out on the counter overnight. That’s what ol’ preggo brain here did last night, and the outcome wasn’t bad like I had feared. Actually, it makes sense – if all cheese are supposed to left at room temperature an hour before serving to heighten their flavors, 10 hours at room temperature must make a cheese 10 times as good, right?

Anyway, the cheese we’re talking about today is Gruyère, the Swiss cow’s-milk cheese that, to me, is Swiss cheese. Though you won’t usually find holes in Gruyère like the commodity “Swiss cheese” features, this is the quintessential Swiss cheese – sweet, nutty and rustic. And while cave-aged versions, such as the 15-month one I bought, typically have a stronger flavor, I found my piece to be pleasingly light and creamy on the tongue. If I had a loaf of crusty bread around, I could have had the entire wedge of Gruyère and bread for breakfast and be totally satisfied. Alas, I’m eating oatmeal. Yawn.

Gruyère melts well, so you’ll find it in a range of dishes, like gratins, quiches and soups. But to me, Gruyère means one thing – fondue. I’m all for trying new cheese combinations when making fondue, but the classic version features Gruyère as a main ingredient, and you can’t argue with that kind of star power. No matter how you prepare it, though, enjoy Gruyère with a light wine wine such as Riesling or a sparkling apple cider.

Cf 12 Nov. Basically the entire thing, in reverse.

Svp replace “The Ugly Truth” with “The Time Traveller’s Wife,” “Up,” and I’m pretty sure I watched another, but I really can’t remember. I’m off my face from exhaustion.

Got to Geneva as expected, at 07h30. Used their free internet. SH missed the train in the morning, so we played a bit of phone tag and message relaying. Managed to get to Gare Cornavin, walked out and around for a bit, found a park, and then just sat on the bench studiously conserving energy.

MSF lecture = so not awake. Really wanted to be awake, so I was pretty much in complete, constant pain from the attempting. Had coffee in the morning, but obviously insufficient. Ended up slapping myself a couple times. Tried to be discreet about it, but with our TA sitting basically to my immediate right, there really is so much you can do to keep “palm to cheek” discreet.

I gave him some chocolate. Yes, I am not above bribing my TA so that he might revise his “this girl is slightly off her rocker” opinion of me.

Had a couple hours to walk around the city a bit. Had dinner at a traditional fondue place: just bread + melted cheese, followed by fruit + melted chocolate. There was live music with fun instruments, which was cool. Dude played the saw. Sounded like a crying cat. Was feeling slightly more perky (I had another coffee from the MSF vending machine).

Really long, strong, hot shower. Watched The Bourne Identity with roomie for the night, SH.

Sleep of the dead.

Visitei essa linda cidade por três ocasiões e certamente voltarei para Gramado porque ela é inesquecível. É uma cidade tranquila, charmosa e muito romântica. Definitivamente é uma das cidades brasileiras com melhor infraestrutura que eu já visitei. Recomendo:

HOTEL SERRA AZUL – Rua Garibaldi, 152 – Gramado/RS

http://www.seraazul.com.br

COZINHA FRANCESA:

Eines der typischsten Gerichte der Schweizer Küche ist sicherlich das Käsefondue. Heutzutage kann man die Käsemischungen bereits fertig kaufen, die Käsemasse muss im Caquelon (dem Fonduetopf) lediglich warm gemacht werden.

Besser schmeckt’s natürlich, wenn das Fondue selbstgemacht wird. Dazu stelle ich Ihnen das klassische Rezept und ein paar Varianten vor:

Das Caquelon mit einer

Knoblauchzehe ausreiben.
600 g geriebener Käse (je 300 g Gruyere und Emmentaler)

reiben und unter Rühren mit

3 dl Weisswein aufkochen.
3 TL Maizena (oder 2 TL Kartoffelstärke)  in
30 ml Kirschwasser auflösen und

unter starkem und permanten Rühren mit dem Holzlöffel dem Käse beifügen. Weiter Rühren (in Form einer 8), kurz aufkochen lassen, mit

Pfeffer und Muskat  gut würzen und servieren.

Während des Essens auf einem Spirituskocher mit regulierbarer Flamme weiterköcheln lassen. Immer wieder mit den fest auf der Fonduegabel aufgespiessten Brotwürfeln rühren, damit das Fondue sämig bleibt.

Mein Tipp: Für die Brotwürfel frisches Kastenweissbrot in ca. 2×2 cm grosse Würfel schneiden und drei, vier Stunden unabgedeckt stehen lassen, damit das Brot etwas antrocknet. So lässt sich das Brot besser aufspiessen und nimmt gut den Käse auf.

Varianten zum obigen (Neuenburger) Fondue-Rezept sind

• Waadtländer Fondue (Gruyere in unterschiedlichen Alterstufen und etwas Jura-Käse verwenden, dazu Knoblauch klein hacken und leicht anschwitzen lassen und im Fondue servieren)
• Freiburger Fondue (zu gleichen Teilen Freiburger Vacherin und Gruyere sowie ein leichter Weisswein)

Und noch ein Tipp: Anstelle von Brotwürfeln können auch kleine Kartoffeln in das Fondue getaucht werden. Besondere Feinschmecker tunken ihr Brot zuerst in ein wenig Kirschwasser, bevor sie es in den Käse tauchen.

In geselliger Runde genossen, macht dieses Schweizer Ur-Gericht richtig Spass. “En Guete” wünscht

Johannes Lacker

P.S.: Sollten sich aus irgendeinem Grund Käse und Wein wieder trennen, ist noch nichts verloren: Einfach nochmals Maizena auflösen und erneut in die Käsemasse einrühren.

A raclette: alternativa à fondue

Em uma pequena reunião entre amigos num domingo à noite, descobri um jeito novo de somar boa comida, boa companhia, boa bebida e horas de conversa em volta da mesa. Uma das coisas que mais gosto em uma refeição na verdade, é ficar ali, beliscando e falando, bebericando e ouvindo.  Afinal, para sentar na sua mesa não se convida qualquer pessoa. 

A Raclette foi a grande surpresa para algumas pessoas naquela noite. Inclusive para mim. Para quem não sabe, a raclette, de origem suíça, funciona como uma fondue. Uma grelha acoplada a uma pedra de granito quente, para fritar pedaçinhos de frango, carne, salsichas, salmão, o que quiser. A grelha frita e a pedra mantém o calor. Embaixo da grelha, espátulas fundas onde se coloca pedaços de batata cozida com queijo em cima. Coloca-se a espátula embaixo da grelha quente, e voilà! Batata com queijo derretido ou até gratinado. O comensal pode comer a batata com as carnes, e com outros ingredientes disponíveis na mesa. Azeitonas, cebola, cenoura, presunto, shoyo, a criatividade é que vai definir.

 O objetivo é ir comendo devagar, à medida que os elementos vão ficando prontos.

Bom, foi mais ou menos assim que aconteceu na noite de domingo. Uma dica: Na hora de apreciar uma refeição com a raclette, não vá com muita sede ao pote. É preciso ir comendo devagar, porque os ingredientes podem demorar um pouco para ficarem prontos. Afinal a raclette é para confraternizar em volta da mesa.

Variedade com os ingredientes

 Agora sobre a raclette em si. Um pouco da estória desse estilo suíço de comer. No original a raclette é feita com queijo suíço, raspado, que é comido com batatas inglesas. Daí a palavra francesa racler, que quer dizer raspar. Na verdade o queijo é o ingrediente mais importante da raclette. É um dos pratos preferidos na Suíça e em alguns países da Europa ele faz muito sucesso.

 Como a fondue, esse prato é mais para ser apreciado durante o inverno. A grelha quente acaba por elevar a temperatura do ambiente e quem estiver encarregado de cuidar das carnes e dos queijos para não queimarem, pode querer colocar um ventilador por perto.

 Como quase sempre acontece em nosso país, acabamos transformando tudo o que chega por aqui. Com a raclette moderna, abrasileirada da minha reunião com amigos, colocamos ingredientes da nossa preferência, adicionamos katchup e a maioria substituiu o vinho por sucos gelados e refrigerantes. Mas ficou tudo uma delícia. Tanto a raclette, quanto a conversa e a companhia.

  Assista um vídeo que ensina como se prepara uma reclette!

We have posted a new recipe “Cider and Gruyère Fondue”, which was especially created for us by Ashley Rodriguez, chef, food author and teacher to demonstrate how to prepare a gourmet fondue using our Swiss handcrafted, professional quality fondue set.

Ashley writes: “Fondue is a creative cook’s dream. For sweet or savory fondue, a base recipe can easily be altered to suit your taste buds. And then there are the dipping items – you’d be surprised at how many things can taste good once their covered in hot cheese.”

Cider and Gruyère Fondue

• 4 cups coarsely grated Gruyère cheese (about 1 pound)
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 cup hard apple cider
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons Calvados, applejack brandy, or poire Williams (clear pear brandy) *optional*

For the full mouth-watering recipe, accompanied by beautiful photographs, visit Artazza.com.

We recommend that you check out Ashley’s award-winning food blog Not Without Salt for additional wonderful recipes and stunning food photography.

Back in England after a great trip to Portugal (stories to follow) I enjoyed a couple of meals in very good company.

Terroirs in all its glory

I revisited Terroirs for lunch with a friend I hadn’t seen for, oh, thirty seven years. Sue was in town for a few days and as she had been to see Les Miserables again, we thought that we would continue the French theme – without stealing the candle sticks.

The waiter was very patient as we had a lot of catching up to do, but he did manage to squeeze an order out of us when Sue and I had told each other of our families, children etc.

Dorset crab - work to be done

We started with the Dorset crab,  and were delighted when we were told that it was undressed and we would have to attack it ourselves. I had a glass of white Château Clément-Termes, Gaillac sec 2008 which went very well with the messy but delicious crustacean.

Vacherin Mont d'Or

As Sue and I had met in Geneva all those years ago we chose to relive our past by ordering a dish similar to the cheese fondue, many of which we’d enjoyed in Switzerland: Vacherin Mont d’Or. Served with charcuterie and pickles it was unctuous, gooey and very rich – a fine substitute for fondue. I plumped for a glass of red Marcillac, Philippe Teulier, whose berry fruitiness stood up well to the cheese.

To complete our lunch we indulged in the pear and almond tart, which we shared, like all our meal and our reminiscences.

Sue and Brett in Terroirs

I enjoyed Terroirs again and was delighted to share this lunch with my ‘old’ friend, who enjoyed discovering this great restaurant. We, of course, decided not to leave it another 37 years before getting together.

Terroirs Wine Bar & Restaurant‎
5 William IV St, London, WC2 4DW‎  tel: 020 7036 0660‎

Sunny day on the Heath

A couple of days later I delivered wine to a Wine Maestro Club member who lives in Blackheath. It was a sunny, crisp day, just right for the huge firework display on the Heath that evening and an opportunity for us to have a walk and, yes, lunch.

From a choice of restaurants and delis in the centre of the village we were enticed – well, I as the beer drinker was enticed – by the sight of the tanks of the microbrewery, Zerodegrees, which is also a restaurant. Once inside we realised that Zerodegrees is a restaurant with a microbrewery. In France it would be called a brasserie but I’ve yet to see a brasserie in France that brews its own beer – if you have, do tell me!

A pot of Creole mussels

From a good menu which offers pizzas (there’s an oven in full view), salads, pastas and mussels we chose a Caesar salad and Creole mussels, accompanied by a reasonable glass of Chilean Sauvignon (for the non beer lover) and a pint of Zerodegrees Pale Ale, which went well with the light spiciness of the plump mussels.

Busy, bustling and family friendly

No room for pudding, just coffee. There is a good buzz about the place with a decent menu, a short but good wine list and, of course, a list of their beers. We enjoyed our lunch at Zerodegrees, leaving as the international rugby was just starting on the huge TV – we were off to see if any kites were flying.

Oh, look at it fly!

Barbara Wagner always loved a good fondue. Dried meats, toasted breads, succulent chunks of pork, slices of roast duck: she enjoyed dipping things. Taking foodstuffs in her pudgy fingers, she would renew them in a  baptism of melted cheese, cackle wildly as they emerged, and set them aside to cool. She would arrange them in a pyramid, cube or some other madly popular shape, going for the aesthetic affect of a towering establishment of curdled milk, referred to it quietly as her nativity scene of deliciousness. Seeing as how she never had guests, the creations would often get eaten by her rottweiler puppy, Turner, who in turn suffered from loathsome bouts of eye-watering gas.

Her holidays were often marked by the silence of lonely years now normalized. The coffee pot more often than not could be heard hissing its woebegone cries from the innards of the lime-green kitchen. The subtle humming of the small burner under the earthenware pot of melted cheese was like the respiration of a baby, the stalwart humming of a carpenter, the calming presence of the silent elder. It’s reverberations imbued every object in the house with a sense of pastoral continuity, grassy highlands on roaming hills, endless sighs of relief in the open lands of forever.

She dipped with fervent regard for the task at hand, practicing metallurgy with product of moo. The downward dipping motion, curled fingers backwards towards her palm, the extended index finger and thumb, the light grip touching the object to the melted mass, the release and the sigh of relief. It was in, it had been placed mindfully, it would remain for two minutes, no more, no less, soak up the milky characteristics and mix them with its own. Then the quick movements to the tray of pronged fondue forks on the right, picking up just the right one that speaks and says, “It is my turn. I am ready to dive in, to prong. I am ready to live.” The gleam of the polished silver, the ebony handle tight within her grip, she sails it downwards into the murky waters below, fishes the food item out with a perfected hooking motion, gasps every time it emerges anew. “You are beautiful,” she tells it. “You have started the day as a piece of salami and now, you are a work of art. Bravo, dear marbled sausage!” She would place it carefully amongst other dipped items, lean back in her worn, oak rocking chair and smile at a job well done.

“To fondue,” she would think to herself, “is an act of God.”

Ingredientes:

6 limões
6 laranjas
4 colheres (sopa) de glaçúcar ou 3 colheres (sopa) de mel

Modo de Preparo:

Misture o suco das frutas, acrescente o açúcar ou o mel e deixe ferver na panela de fondue até que o glaçúcar ou o mel estejam dissolvidos. Sirva com pedaços de laranja descascada, pedaços de pêssego ou de abacaxi, a polpa do melão em bolinhas, tâmaras sem caroço, pedaços de figo.

The weather forecast was grim. The last glimmers of summer were quickly fading, and the gray cloud of fall and winter was already setting in. No trip to Switzerland is complete without a sojourn to the jagged peaks of the Alps. On this last weekend of the B. parents’ visit, we’d originally hoped to make a trek to Zermatt and from there, by mountain cog-train, to a mind-blowing lookout upon the Gornergrat Glacier and the nearby Matterhorn. The weather simply didn’t cooperate. However, we kept watching the forecast for points in the Alps closer to Bern and finally sensed an opportunity. By mid-day we were approaching the resort town of Grindelwald.

Though thick cloud and rain had been forecast, we were greeted with clearing skies and Sun.

Partners in crime.

“Mountains? Where?”

There are abundant ways to reach deeper into the mountains from Grindelwald. Ultimately, we settled on a cable car leading from the western end of Grindewald up to Männlichen (2343 m, nearly 7690 ft) to catch views of the impressive summits of Jungrfau (4158 m, 13642 ft), Eiger (3970 m, 13025 ft), and Mönch (4107 m, 13474 ft).

The views of mountains and bovines alike from the small two-person cars were outstanding. Looking back towards Grindelwald, the Wetterhorn (3692 m, 12113 ft) towers over the village.

But there is always a price to pay.

Reaching nearly 6100m, the Gondelbahn Grindewald-Männlichen is the longest passenger cable-car in the world. The journey from top to bottom takes 30 minutes. For some of us, the complimentary Ricola lozenge barely lasted to the half-way point.

Did we mention that Bo B. (pictured above) is not fond of heights?

But the pay-off was exquisite:

▲ We had a yummy lunch at Männlichen. The rösti was considerably cheaper on a mountaintop than in Bern — go figure. Then we took in the extraordinary views as swirling sheets of cloud blew over us.

▲ The view from Männlichen — click panoramic image to enlarge.

▲ Beowulf and Grendel monument, 6 km.

▲ Proof that Bo B. made it to the top. Thankfully, the restaurant was serving beer.

▲ Rocky VII, “Fighting for Fondue.” Cue Survivor’s “Eye of the Gorby.”

When my good friend Doug Stone asked me to create a few recipes with tequila for his new website ForTequilaLovers, I was thrilled. Not only do I adore tequila on its own or in cocktails, I also love cooking with it — its unusual flavor pairs beautifully with so many foods!

Here I’ve created a new-world version of the classic Swiss fondue. The tequila adds a wonderful dimension to this truly scrumptious fondue and the chipotle lends a hint of smokiness to it. It’s so addictive that when I first tested the recipe, Marc (my best taster and hubby!) ate the whole thing so fast I thought he’d inhaled it!

I recommend either a Reposado Tequila or Mezcal for this recipe, because their deep, powerful flavor stands up nicely to the cheese and actually cuts through the richness of the fondue.

Bread cubes are the traditional dipping bits for fondues, but don’t stop there — try serving this fondue with chunks of grilled meats, blanched-but-still-a-bit-crunchy broccoli or cauliflower florets, cherry tomatoes, fingerling potatoes boiled until just tender… or whatever you love with cheese!

For a head-spinning selection of tequilas, visit Doug’s website. (And no, he hasn’t paid me to say this and hasn’t given me freebies either — this is just my own honest-to-goodness opinion!)

Say cheese and take a bite!

Cheese Fondue with Chipotle and Tequila

makes  approximately 2 cups (4 servings)

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup Reposado Tequila or Mezcal
1 cup dry white wine
8 oz Monterey Jack cheese – coarsely grated
12 oz aged Fontina cheese – coarsely grated
2 to 3 teaspoons chipotle in spicy adobo sauce, to taste – puréed
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 sourdough or whole wheat baguette – cut in 1/2” cubes

Step 1: Place the cornstarch and the Tequila in a small bowl. Set aside.
Step 2: Place the wine in a medium saucepan and heat over medium-high heat. As soon as the wine starts to simmer, gradually add the grated cheese and whisk constantly until completely melted and smooth. Reduce heat to medium and add the cornstarch/Tequila mixture, chipotle and salt (careful not to dribble on the stove now, alcohol is very flammable!). Continue to whisk for 1 to 2 minutes until slightly thickened. Remove from heat.
Step 3: Place the cheese mixture in a fondue bowl with a flame under it to keep it warm. Serve with long fondue forks and the bread cubes or other morsels of your choice.

© 2009 viviane bauquet farre – food & style NY LLC

Once upon a time in a quaint little town called Pleasant Hill, CA there was an adorable French restaurant called Left Bank.  Left Bank was a standout in a town with little in the way of decent food.  It was a true French brasserie with a large, beautiful wooden bar, adorable giant-sized vintage wine posters on the walls and beautiful light fixtures.  Toward the end of the week a great jazz trio would play and in the summer, almost half of the outer walls in the restaurant were open doors that let in the cool, Northern California breeze.

Over time I came to love this place for the food and the people I met here.  The bartenders were friendly, made great drinks and a couple were very interesting people to have a great conversations with while I decompressed.  It was also a favorite place for a birthday dinner or to meet the girls for happy hour.  They seemed busy enough.  I thought.

Imagine my shock and horror when I got a message from one of the bartenders who had become a friend-Cheryl, telling me that two locations would be closing-including the one that I loved (there were only 5 to begin with!) in 2 days.  2 days!?!?  I didn’t even know what to do with that information.

So, I said a sad goodbye with one last Kettle One Lemon Drop and wondered where I would go to read a book on a hot summer night alone or where I would take the girls for a drink before the next Sex In The City movie comes out?!!  Who would make our cosmos? It was so unfair.

Sadly, that was 4 months ago and these questions remain unanswered.

Alas, there are 2 Left Bank restaurants remaining-both an hour drive in opposite directions from me.  Today, I couldn’t resist the pull and came out to the Larkspur location-hoping I could see one of the very few employees from Pleasant Hill that were absorbed while I wrote a blog and looked at what the job market looks like for me at the moment.  No luck on any of it except the trip to Larkspur.  Goodness knows I look for any excuse to be in my car for a while-if for no other reason than to listen to Dave Matthews or Miss Spears (shhhhhh-don’t tell) a little too loud and sing badly & alone.  Okay, so I dance in my car, too.  Hush.

I can’t end this post without saying a thing or 2 about the differences between the Pleasant Hill location and the Larkspur location.  This is a restaurant that sucks at consistency.  Ordering the same things I would ask for in Pleasant Hill (if they are available-and that is a big IF), did not guarantee that I would get the same things.  Tre disappointing.  The staff is nice enough, and I do like the atmosphere.  Overall, it is a food problem.  All of the good options are toast in Larkspur-as in gone.

You know what this means, right??  It is long past time for me to develop a cheese fondue recipe to put LB-L to shame.  I love ya, Left Bank-but you let me down!  If you do order the eversofamous fondue, get a side of chives and pour a couple of spoonfuls into the fondue-you can thank me later.

Don’t feel bad, I’ll get over it by having a scoop of gelato (who knew French restaurants served Italian Ice Cream?) and singing until I lose my voice on the beautiful drive home.

I wonder what I’ll make for dinner…………

http://www.leftbank.com/

Save Room - Dark Chocolate and Peanut Butter Fondue (Photo by Amanda Heironimus)

In honor of Wilmington’s Restaurant Week (ends Wednesday – see previous post for details), we mulled over the participating eateries, ruled out those we’d already tried, those we found on the low end of the Health Inspection grading curve (scores released recently at http://www.star-newsmedia.com/rr/rr.php?rr_county=NEW+HANOVER ) and any member of a national chain (The Melting Pot, really?? I thought this was about local flavor).

Chef's Choice : Second course salads (Photo by Amanda Heironimus)

From those remaining, we chose The Little Dipper, Wilmington’s homegrown answer to the aforementioned national fondue giant. A fantastic choice, as the evening was on the chilly side. Romantic, cozy and modern (if such a combination is possible, and it seems it is), TLD’s interior provided an instant warm-up. And shortly after being seated, we were treated to a more literal warm-up.

The Restaurant Week deal at TLD included four courses for $25 per diner, so we dove right in with the cheese fondu appetizer. We chose (and wisely, as it turned out) the Cheddar Ale flavor, and our server created the mixed-cheese and Guinness concoction at our table as we discussed the rest of the meal.

Round Two: Jeff’s chef salad was heartier than expected, small in size but loaded with quality ingredients. I chose the Ginger Carrot soup, a wonderfully balanced and savory dish.

The Main Event: Meats, veggies and sauce to spare (Photo by Amanda Heironimus)

(Note: I probably would’ve liked the Wasabi Cream sauce better, but during one particular bite, the spice went straight to my nose and in my rush to get some water or something – anything! – I tipped over my full glass of champagne. The Wasabi sauce was therefore exiled).

Live Art: TLD's Resident Jellyfish (Photo by Jeff Boykin)

Pure ridiculousness never tasted so good.

o fondue mais delicioso do finzinho do frio, fotos minhas e dele