Fontina Fondue with Grappa and Chopped Broccoli

From Things Cooks Love: Implements. Ingredients. Recipes.

By Sur La Table and Marie Simmons

Fondue Pot recipe

Prep 30 min | Cook time (bread) 20 min | Cook time (fondue) 10 min | Serves 4–6

The classic fondue is made with Gruyère and Emmental cheese melted with white wine and a splash of kirsch, a clear brandy distilled from cherry juice and pits. This riff on that tradition is made with imported Italian fontina Val d’Aosta, a rich, nutty cheese used to make fonduta, the famed fondue of northern Italy that combines cheese, egg yolks, and cream. The broccoli is a pretty touch but is optional, as is the crushed red pepper.

Implements
Tongs, Rimmed Sheet Pan, 2- or 3-Quart Saucepan, Strainer, Fondue Pot, Slotted
Spoon

Ingredients
1 loaf whole wheat Italian or French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
1 cup coarsely chopped (¼-inch pieces) broccoli florets, (optional)
½ teaspoon coarse salt
1 large clove garlic, halved lengthwise
1 cup pinot grigio or other dry white wine
1 tablespoon grappa or brandy
1 pound fontina Val d’Aosta cheese, rind removed and coarsely shredded (about 8 cups)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Pinch of crushed red pepper (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the bread cubes in a large bowl and drizzle with the oil. Use tongs or your hands to toss the bread, coating it with the oil and adding a little more oil if the cubes aren’t evenly coated. Spread the bread on a large rimmed sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes, or until very lightly toasted. Remove from the oven and let cool.
2. Heat to a boil a 2- or 3-quart saucepan half filled with water. Add the broccoli and salt and boil for 3 minutes, or until tender. Drain in a strainer and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
3. Rub the inside of a flameproof ceramic fondue pot with the cut sides of the garlic. Discard the garlic, or reserve for another use. Add the wine to the fondue pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. (Check the manufacturer’s instructions to see if a heat diffuser is necessary.) Add the grappa.
4. In a large bowl, combine the cheese and flour and toss to combine. Gradually add the cheese, a handful at a time, to the simmering wine, stirring vigorously with a slotted metal or wooden spoon after each addition until melted before adding more cheese. Fold the broccoli and red pepper into the melted cheese until blended.
5. Put the bread cubes on a platter or in a basket and place on the table. Place the tabletop heater in the center of the table and place the fondue pot on top. Provide each diner with a fondue fork for spearing the bread cubes and dipping into the communal pot.

Buckwheat Crepes with Sautéed Aples and Gruyère Cheese

From Things Cooks Love: Implements. Ingredients. Recipes.

Prep (batter) 10 min | Resting time (batter) 1 hr |
Prep (filling) 30 min | Cook time 2 min per crepe |

Serves 4–6

Throughout France, you will find small restaurants, often tucked away on side streets, specializing in crepes. In Brittany, the crepes are made with buckwheat flour and the typical filling is a smear of salted butter, cheese, ham or bacon, thinly sliced fruit, and/or eggs. In most of France, crepes are rolled up or folded into half or quarter circles, but in Brittany, where they are sometimes called galettes, they are folded differently. The filling is spread in the center of the pancake, the four rounded sides are folded in over the filling, forming a square, and then the crepe is inverted onto a serving plate.

Implements
Standard Whisk, Large Skillet, 9- to 11-inch Crepe Pan, Small Ladle, Small, Narrow Rubber Spatula, Wide Spatula (Optional)

Ingredients
Crepe Batter
1 cup buckwheat flour
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon coarse salt
2 large eggs
1½ cups water
2 tablespoons salted or unsalted butter, melted

Filling
4 tablespoons salted or unsalted butter
3 yellow onions, cut into ¹⁄8-inch wedges
6 slightly green Golden Delicious apples,
quartered, cored, and cut into ¹⁄8-inch wedges
2 ounces smoked ham, thinly slivered (optional)
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
¹⁄8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of coarse salt
1 tablespoon salted or unsalted butter, melted, plus 2 tablespoons, softened
3 cups (12 ounces) coarsely grated Gruyère or Comté cheese

1. Make the crepe batter: In a large bowl, stir together the buckwheat flour, all-purpose flour, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until well blended; stir in the water and butter. Gradually whisk the egg mixture into the flour mixture until the batter is smooth. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. The batter should be the consistency of heavy cream. If it is too thick, whisk in additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
2. While the batter is resting, prepare the filling: In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onions, increase the heat to medium, and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add the apples and cook, stirring, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the apples begin to brown and have softened. Add the ham and sprinkle with the lemon juice, nutmeg, and salt. Cover and set aside until ready to fill the crepes.
3. Heat a 9- to 11-inch crepe pan over medium-low heat until hot enough for a drop of water to sizzle on contact. Brush the surface of the crepe pan with a thin film of the melted butter. Blot any excess with the tip of a paper towel. Stir the crepe batter well with the whisk. Ladle about ¹⁄3 cup of the batter into the heated pan, and simultaneously tilt and roll the pan from side to side to coat the surface with a thin layer of batter. Cook for 1 minute, or until the edges begin to set. Run the tip of a small, narrow rubber spatula under the edges of the crepe to loosen it from the pan. Use your fingertips to lift the crepe and quickly flip it over. Cook the other side for 30 seconds, or until the batter is set into a thin pancake. Do not brown the crepe or cook it until crisp. Transfer the crepe to a large, round plate. Repeat with the remaining batter, brushing the pan with more butter if necessary. Stack the crepes as they are made. You should have 12 crepes. If making ahead, wrap the crepes in plastic wrap or aluminum foil to prevent drying out. The crepes can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.
4. If the crepes have been made ahead, fill them one at a time by first warming each crepe in the pan over low heat. While they are still in the pan, sprinkle about ¼ cup of the cheese in the center of the crepe. Top the cheese with a large spoonful of the warm apple filling, spreading it into a single layer. Fold in two opposite sides of the circle to cover the filling. Then fold in the remaining two rounded sides, overlapping slightly, to form a square envelope. With a wide spatula, lift the crepe from the pan and invert it, so it is seam side down, onto a serving plate. Cover with aluminum foil to keep warm if not serving at once. Fill the remaining crepes in the
same way. Reserve the remaining filling.
5. Just before serving, brush the smooth top of each crepe with a thin film of the softened butter. Reheat the remaining apple filling and spoon a portion on top of each crepe. Serve at once.

The French Pantry

From Things Cooks Love: Implements. Ingredients. Recipes.

Almost every American cook has had some exposure to French cooking, and that made the selection of cookware, tools, and recipes for this chapter an exciting challenge. The French have had an amazing impact on what Americans eat and how we talk about cooking. You can hardly look at a cooking magazine, read a restaurant menu, or step into a fast-food joint without seeing the words soufflé, fondue, crème brûlée, pâté, quiche, and, of course, French fry. Discover specialized cookware such as the cocotte, the chinois, the raclette grill, the mussel pot, and the pommes Anna pan, and rediscover familiar pieces like the crepe pan, the omelet pan, and the fondue pot. Then you can serve up these Gallic specialties using the wonderful variety of cheeses, oils, vinegars, and other specialties of France.

Cheese

Brie
This rich cow’s milk cheese has a creamy, soft interior and is covered by a chalky, mildly flavored edible rind. Brie imitations are sold everywhere but, for a special meal, seek out an imported Brie de Meaux. (This is almost impossible to find in the United States because it is made from raw milk and aged less than the FDA-required sixty days. An excellent substitute is an imported knockoff called Fromage de Meaux that is almost as good as the real thing.)

Chèvre
The word chèvre means “goat,” and is also used to describe a pure goat’s milk cheese in France. Goat cheeses are made throughout the world, but the French probably have the widest range of types, shapes, and sizes. Typically, the cheeses have a tangy, almost lemony taste. Soft fresh goat cheeses are often melted into sauces or cut into disks, browned, and served as the enterpiece of a salad. The semiaged log-shaped Bucheron has a tangier, more complex flavor than a fresh chèvre, and a drier, chalkier texture that makes it ideal for crumbling on top of salads.

Comté
A cow’s milk cheese from the Jura in eastern France, near the Swiss border. It has a sweet, nutty taste and, although it is a firm cheese, it has a soft feel in your mouth. Sometimes compared to Gruyère, it is both a great melting cheese and eating cheese.

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