Perfect Fondue

Tis the season of clementines counting as a vegetable, making this an *even easier* meal.

Were you in need of a festive weeknight holiday-season dinner that takes 1 second to make, and can be eaten in the cozy comfort of your living room, near the Christmas tree, like a kind of mid-winter indoor picnic? I thought so. Fondue is what you're after, believe me.

Because I (do-gooder alert) work at our local soup kitchen at lunchtime on Mondays, I tend to come home with a day-old baguette from the food pantry, and fondue is starting to become a weekly tradition. The bread, heated for 15 minutes in a 350 oven, is good as new, and a dinner of melted cheese always feels like a little party. A very little party.

I know that I posted a different fondue recipe before, and it was our go-to for years. But now that the children are growing up, they actually prefer this tangier, more robust version that swaps apple cider in for milk, and adds some cheddar to mix up the Extreme Mildness of the Monterey Jack.

Have I mentioned that our coffee table is always covered in white paper? We used to do it just for parties (as a kind of de facto drawing activity), but now we always do. We do spirograph on it, and drawings; we write Boggle words and Scrabble scores; we illustrate things we're drying to describe to each other; I jot down notes and recipes. So great.

Perfect Fondue

Serves “6” (cough *4* cough)

Feel free to experiment with the cheese (Swiss, gruyere, etc.) and liquid (milk, broth, or even the children’s unfavorite, wine, are all viable options). Also the zestifying ingredients are, of course, fully optional.

2 cups apple cider (something light, like Martinelli’s is ideal for this)

½ pound Monterey Jack cheese, coarsely grated

½ pound sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated

2 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Dash each of garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, and cayenne

While you heat the cider over medium heat in a medium-sized saucepan, toss the cheese, flour, and cornstarch together in a bowl until the shreds are nicely floured. Stir the cheese into the now-simmering cider a handful at a time, waiting until each handful melts (about a minute) before adding the next. When it is all melty and smooth (this will take about 5 minutes altogether), season with the optional seasonings, pour it into a fondue pot, and serve with cubed bread for dipping.

(Other good dippers include cooked potato chunks, other cooked or raw veggies of your liking, cubes of ham, and apple wedges.)