Let it melt away

Chances are there’s a fondue pot sitting dejected in your home’s appliance graveyard among waffle irons, Foreman grills and electric bread makers. It’s now fall, and it’s time to dust it off. A shared meal of bread, wine and melted cheese is a simple pleasure, and a fondue party is a perfect solution for the small dinners of the upcoming holiday season.

While it helps to have a fondue pot, it isn’t 100 percent necessary. Some finely crafted ceramic pots are available for around $100, but for an item that many will use only once a year, this may be a bit steep. Another option is an electric fondue pot. With these you can often prepare your fondue recipe entirely at the table. Electric fondue pots typically are either stainless steel and/or treated to be nonstick and can be purchased for around $30. The third, and cheapest, option is to just use a pot on the stove. If you have something like a hotplate that you can use to then keep the fondue warm on the table, that’s all you need.

Fondue etiquette: It’s your party, and you can cry if you want to, but there’s no reason to burn your mouth while eating hot melted cheese. Here are some quick fondue tips and traditions. When invited to a fondue party, it is courteous to bring wine as a gift (sparkling apple cider is a good nonalcoholic substitute). Dry, crisp, white wines are traditional, but there is no reason that red can’t be enjoyed with melted cheese.

Around the pot, each person takes turns dipping their bread into the cheese; everyone is expected to mix and stir the cheese while dipping to keep it mixed and to prevent it from burning. Once you remove your dipped bread, tap it gently on the side of the pot so that excess cheese will fall off, then bring it to your own plate. Then, either use a regular fork to unspear the cheese-coated bread onto your plate, or gently blow onto it until it is cool enough to eat. Try not to touch the metal fork with your lips or teeth. (And no double-dipping!)

When putting bread onto your fork, spear through the crust of the bread; otherwise it is likely to drop off into the pot. In that event, follow one of two traditions: You either have to kiss the person to your right (seating arrangements traditionally are by alternating couples), or, should that be too socially awkward, you may instead owe the host a bottle of wine.

Ingredients:

1 clove garlic

1 loaf French bread (hard-crusted is preferable)

1/2 pound Emmentaler cheese (rind removed)

1/2 pound Gruyère cheese (rind removed)

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups dry white wine

1 tablespoon lemon juice

3 tablespoons kirsch (cherry brandy)

Nutmeg and paprika to taste

Measure out all ingredients in advance, then coarsely grate and mix the cheeses with the flour in a large bowl. Cut the loaf of bread into approximate 1-inch cubes, leaving crust on each piece whenever possible. Cut garlic clove in half and rub inside fondue pot. Either in a pot on a stovetop, or in your electric fondue pot, heat 1 1/2 cups of the wine until just below boiling. Lower heat, add cheese a handful at a time and stir continually as it melts. If too thick, add more wine; if too thin, a little more flour. Once all cheese has melted, add lemon juice and kirsch, stir, transfer to ceramic pot and/or to table. Season/garnish with nutmeg and paprika. Keep warm over low heat, adjust as needed. Serves four.