Beef Fondue
                                       The Dipping Sauces

                              Tempura
                              Cheese Fondue
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The Melting Pot is a chain of fondue restaurants.  They offer the traditional hot oil and an alternative. They serve a wonderfully flavored broth, my choice for sure.  We always order the combination platter: chicken, beef, shrimp etc.
I have been to one in Columbus OH, Columbia SC, Myrtle Beach NC, and Cincinnati OH.
 

                      Fondue Bourguignonne

    The Fondue Bourguignonne, according to legend, originated centuries ago in Burgundy's (France) famous vineyards.  Here, when the grapes are ripe to perfection, they must be picked immediately without stopping even for a midday meal.  Some hungry soul had the idea of boiling a pot of oil to dunk cook pieces of meat in spare moments so that he could eat on the run and neither his stomach nor the grapes would suffer.  The idea caught on.  Each picker brought his own meat, cooking to his own taste when he found time, and beef fondue was born.  The fondue loving Swiss developed the idea to its present form and credited the Burgundian grape pickers by calling it Fondue Bourguignonne.

   Provide two forks per person, one for cooking (gets very hot!) and one for eating.
  The oil should be heated to 350*.  One can check this temperature, as it is reached when a bread cube browns in one minute.  Meat cubes should be rare in 30 seconds, medium in 1 minute and well done in 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.

    To serve 4 people:
        2 lb. beef tenderloin or a good quality boneless sirloin
        3-4 C. cooking oil (pot should be 1/2-2/3 full).  The oil may be 1/2 corn, vegetable, or peanut oil mixed with 1/2 clarified butter.
    Serve with at least three sauces.

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A-1 Sauce

Sour Cream Horseradish Sauce - makes 3/4 cup
    3/4 c. sour cream
    2 rounded T. horseradish
    1/4 rounded  t. paprika
Mix and chill. Serve cold.

Dijon Mayonnaise - makes 3/4 cup
    3/4 c. mayonnaise
    1 T. dijon mustard
Mix and chill.  Serve cold.

Bob also likes Bernaise Sauce,  which I buy packaged at the grocery.

Austin's favorite is always Terriyaki with a dash of sesame oil.

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Tempura - Is Japanese style.  This is a light batter (not as heavy as breaded! which I find ) that coats the food to be cooked in hot oil.
    1 3/4c. all-purpose flour
     1/4c. cornstarch
    1 cup ice water
    1 egg, slightly beaten
    2T. salad oil
    1/2t. sugar
    1/2t. salt
    1/2t. baking powder
    1/2t. baking soda
Keep batter cooled over a dish of a couple ice cubes.  Cook in hot oil at 360*.  Drain on paper towels.
We use a dipping sauce of soy and dry mustard with chopped scallion greens and a couple drops of sesame oil.
You can use many ingredients with tempura.  Our favorites are fish, shrimp, zucchini, onion, mushrooms( all kinds), bell peppers, scallions, eggplant, and Nasturtium flowers.

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    In early times in Switzerland cheese and bread were made in the summer and fall to last all through the winter.  Both became very hard, the bread so wooden that it literally had to be chopped with an ax.  The cheese had to be heated over fire to soften it and make it edible.  Some long forgotten innovator discovered that by melting the cheese in wine a delicious mix was made in which to dunk the bread and soften it.  In the long, cold Swiss winters it was desirable to huddle round a fire and one large pot of cheese served for all.  Each hungry peasant would dip his share of bread in the communal pot.  Thus Swiss Fondue was born.

Swiss Cheese Fondue
    1 clove garlic, cut in half
    2 c. dry white wine [White Vermouth, Chablis, Rhine, and Riesling etc.)
    1 T. lemon juice
    1 lb. natural Swiss cheese, shredded and room temperature
    3 T. flour
    1-2 T. kirsch (or brandy)
    Nutmeg, freshly ground pepper or paprika to taste
    2 loaves crusty Italian or French day old bread cut in cubes, crust on each cube

Rub fondue pot with the cut side of garlic. Discard.  Pour in wine.  Set over moderate heat.  When wine is hot but not boiling, add lemon juice.  Then dredge cheese lightly with flour and add by spoonfuls to the hot wine, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.  Keep stirring until cheese is melted.   Then add kirsch and spices, stirring until blended.            Serves 4

Originally Swiss but now a universal fondue custom- if the lady looses her bread cube in the fondue, she pays with a kiss to the nearest man.  If a man loses his bread, he provides the next round of drinks. But no tricking someone into losing his bread.

I have a little fondue book that has recipes for all varieties of cheeses (ricotta, cream cheese, cheddar etc.) and liquids instead of wine (milk or broth).  So be creative and see what works for you, and then share it with the world!

We also dip cubes of ham, slightly cooked cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots.  Sometimes we add pear and apple wedges.
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Chocolate Fondue - The Swiss are very inventive and somewhere along the line decided that since chocolate was so good with fruit and the Swiss made such good chocolate. . . why not a Chocolate Fondue?  Very attractive, small fondue pots with candle warmers are primarily designed for the chocolate.

    6 T. cream (or more for a lighter thinner sauce)
    3 40z bars sweet cooking chocolate
    1/8 t. cinnamon
    2 T. flavored brandy (peach, apricot, cherry etc.)
Heat the cream in the top of a double boiler.  Break chocolate into pieces and add to cream, stirring to make a smooth sauce as the chocolate melts.  Stir in cinnamon and brandy.  Put in candle dish if available.
Serve with pieces of fresh fruit (patted dry), such as: apple, pear, strawberries, raspberries, pineapple, orange sections, banana, and cherries.

For one of Robin's birthday parties we made Chocolate Fondue and served it with a bowl of assorted shaped pretzels.  The kiddlies had a ball.
 

Caramel Fondue
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1 can evaporated milk (13 oz.)
24 caramels (6 oz.)
3T. brandy
1t. vanilla

Heat milk with the caramels over low heat, stirring occasionally until melted.  Increase heat to medium; simmer 3-4 minutes until slightly thickened.  Off heat, stir in brandy and vanilla; serve warm, with slices of apples, bananas, peaches, pears, pound cake and/or angel food cake.
 

Fruit Sauce Dip
    2 T. cornstarch
    3 T. sugar
    dash salt
    3/4 c. cold water
    3 T. lemon juice
    1/4 c. orange juice
    1/2 c. currant jelly
    1/4 c. sherry
Combine cornstarch, sugar, salt and water.  Stir to dissolve cornstarch, than bring to a boil and cook and stir until mixture is thickened and clear.  Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into candle dish and serve with fresh and dried fruit.
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