The Festive Fondue

Reports from Switzerland confirm that the current favorite sport among the Swiss -- mountaineering, yodeling, skiing and beautiful women notwithstanding -- is fonduing. In pursuit of that pleasure, the Swiss have become the outstanding proponents of the fondue fork, the most untile table utensil to come along since a Byzantine princess introduced the first fork to the West. The fondue fork is an extra-long, two-pronged job which the Swiss use to dip chunks of crusty French bread into a chafing dish filled with melted cheese and kirsch. The dish -- still popular and tasty -- is called valais. The newest member of the fondue clan is called bourguignonne, and it towers over the older fondue like the Matterhorn over a molehill.

Although the open season for fonduing continues all year long, it scores highest as holiday table fare. In the chemistry of hospitality, the happiest formula has always been one that allows the guests to partake of the host's chores. The kind of normal barrier encountered at some formal dinner parties simply dissolves at fondue fetes. It's every man for himself, and you avoid the competitive eying of the roast beef platter and the crowding in the vicinity of the lobster newburg. No matter how fierce the appetites, no fondue enthusiast will ever have to declaim as Alexander Barclay once did, describing a dinner in one of his eclogues:

And if it be fleshe, 10 knives shall thou seeMangling the fleshe, and in the platter flee. To put there thy hands is perill without fayle Without a gauntlet or els a glove of mayle.

The ritual of fondue bourguignonne is simple. Each guest is presented with a plate of small pieces of raw filet mignon and an assortment of sauces. He impales the meat on his fork, lowers it into a dish of hot oil over a spirit lamp, waits about a minute or less, dunks the now-browned meat in one of several sauces, and then commits the luscious morsel to its final destiny.

It doesn't detract from the fun of fonduing to point out that the phrase fondue bourguignonne is, in a sense, a misnomer. The French word fondue means a dish cooked to a pulp or purée, like the melted-cheese or scrambled-egg fondues. Fondue bourguignonne didn't come from Burgundy, nor does it resemble either the Burgundian beef stew or the beef dish kept on the back of the fire by French peasants until they returned from the fields. Some Swiss chefs like to say that its unknown originator fell in love with a girl from the Côte-d'Or and created the fondue as a culinary tribute to his Burgundian heart's delight. Origins aside, the varieties of holiday menus based on the fondue bourguignonne are limitless and echo the esprit, if not the letter, of Burgundian gourmandise.

Before the party, the role of the fondue host is more that of purveyor than beleaguered chef. He provides the raw meat which he merely cuts into small pieces. He may make a hot sauce of the hollandaise type in his blender and offer several compatible condiments. In addition to the meat, there may be a huge mound of roesti, the Swiss version of hashed brown potatoes, or a platter of brown noodles and one of the excellent cooked frozen vegetables now available. Although a salad may seem like an embarras de richesses, it's fine for nibbling while the snared meat is in the fondue dish.

Classic fondue equipment can be bought as a set, or assembled in separate pieces. Visually, the highly burnished copper or brass assemblage is a distinct plus at any table. There's a tray of brass or copper (for protecting the table) on which a trivet stands. Beneath the trivet, the flames emanate from a spirit lamp or can of Sterno. Into the trivet, a deep copper dish lined with silver snugly fits. One fondue set will take care of four to six people. For parties of eight or over, you'll need two sets. If you happen to own a chafing dish, the blazer may be used directly over the flame for fondues, but the deeper fondue dish is, of course, spatter-proof. We prefer fondue forks with multicolored handles so that each of the entrants at the tournament can identify his weapon. Fondue dinner plates are often seen at the rites. They're simply compartmented dinner plates with a large section for holding the meat and peripheral smaller sections for (concluded on page 196)Festive Fondue (continued from page 113) garnishes. If regular dinner plates are used, sauces can be dispensed in small soufflé dishes or individual copper sauce pots. Besides fondue forks for dunking and cooking, there should be regular dinner forks for removing and eating the hot spiked meat.

A fondue party should never be planned for hurry-up pretheater or pregame dinners. It's the kind of pleasure enjoyed to the fullest only when it's leisurely paced. It calls for a mellow, easygoing wine: Switzerland produces a noted red wine, the dole from the delightful Sion area, so soft that it almost purrs as you swallow it. There are soft California and French wines, but the dole seems to have come into the world especially for the fondues that follow. Each recipe serves six.

[recipe_title]Fondue Bourguignonne[/recipe_title]

[recipe]4 lbs. filet mignon, trimmed weight Salt, pepper, cayenne[/recipe]

[recipe]1 Bermuda onion[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons horseradish[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 lb. sweet butter[/recipe]

[recipe]3 egg yolks[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon tarragon vinegar[/recipe]

[recipe]2 teaspoons minced parsley[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon beef extract[/recipe]

[recipe]2 cups salad oil[/recipe]

[recipe]1 jar pickled walnuts, ice cold[/recipe]

Prepare potatoes roesti. Be sure all fat and outer membrane of filet are removed. Cut meat into 3/4-in. cubes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mince onion very fine and combine with horseradish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside this onion relish. Heat butter in saucepan until melted, but not brown. Put egg yolks in blender. Run blender at low speed, slowly adding butter in a very thin stream. When butter is all used, remove sauce from blender and fold in tarragon vinegar, parsley and beef extract. Keep sauce in warm place until served, but do not put over fire, or sauce will curdle. Heat oil in saucepan until it shows first sign of smoke. Pour into fondue dish. Let stand over trivet flame 5 minutes before serving dinner. Divide meat, pickled walnuts and onion relish among plates. Sauce may be served on plates or passed separately. Guests spear one piece of meat at a time and brown in fat about 20 to 30 seconds, or until meat reaches desired doneness. Pass potatoes.

[recipe_title]Potatoes Roesti[/recipe_title]

[recipe]6 medium-to-large-size potatoes[/recipe]

[recipe]1 small onion[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons salad oil[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons butter[/recipe]

Peel potatoes. Cut each in half crosswise. Boil in salted water until just tender, about 25 minutes. Don't overcook. Drain well. When potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut into hashsize pieces. Grate onion into potatoes. Season generously with salt and pepper. Heat salad oil and butter in a 10-in. castiron or heavy aluminum skillet. Add potatoes. Pat top of potatoes down and move them slightly away from rim of skillet. Sauté about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown on bottom. Lift potatoes slightly with spatula to check color. Hold platter, round if possible, in left hand. Place rim of skillet against plate, and quickly flip skillet so that potatoes are brown side up on plate. Cut into wedges at table.

[recipe_title]Chicken Fondue[/recipe_title]

[recipe]4 large whole breasts of chicken[/recipe]

[recipe]1 lb. bacon[/recipe]

[recipe]1 lb. fresh mushrooms[/recipe]

[recipe]1 small green pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]3 tablespoon butter[/recipe]

[recipe]3 egg yolks[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 lb. sweet butter[/recipe]

[recipe]Juice of 1/4 lemon[/recipe]

[recipe]1 whole canned pimiento, minced fine[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper, cayenne[/recipe]

[recipe]2 cups salad oil[/recipe]

[recipe]1 bottle sauce Diable, ice cold[/recipe]

Prepare brown noodle platter. Have butcher remove bones from chicken. Remove filet, the long underpiece which is detachable, from each breast. Cut filet into 1-in. pieces. Cut remainder of breast crosswise into 1/2-in.-thick slices. Cut bacon slices crosswise into 3 pieces. Wash mushrooms and cut into 1/2-in.-thick slices. Cut green pepper into eighths, discarding stem and seeds. Sauté mushrooms and green pepper in 3 tablespoons butter until tender. Separate green pepper from mushrooms, and mince green pepper. Set aside for later use. Keep mushrooms warm until serving time. Put egg yolks in well of blender. Heat 1/4 lb. butter in saucepan until melted, but not brown. Run blender at low speed, slowly adding butter in a very thin stream. When butter is all used, add lemon juice, minced green pepper and pimiento. Add salt, pepper and cayenne to taste. Heat oil in saucepan until it shows first sign of smoke. Pour into fondue dish. Let stand over trivet flame 5 minutes before serving dinner. Divide chicken, bacon and mushrooms among plates. Serve hot sauce and sauce Diable at table. Chicken and bacon may be speared together for dipping into hot oil. Pass noodles.

[recipe_title]Brown Noodles[/recipe_title]

[recipe]1/2 lb. fine-size egg noodles[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper, monosodium glutamate[/recipe]

[recipe]4 tablespoons butter[/recipe]

Boil noodles in salted water until tender. Drain and wash well, using a colander, under running water. Drain thoroughly. Season with salt, pepper and monosodium glutamate to taste. Heat butter in a 10-in. cast-iron skillet or heavy aluminum pan. Add noodles. Pat down. Move noodles about 1/2 in. from rim of skillet. Cook over a moderate flame until golden brown on bottom. Lift noodles slightly with spatula to check color. Hold platter in left hand. Place rim of skillet against platter, and quickly flip skillet so that noodles are brown side up on platter.

[recipe_title]Shrimp Fondue[/recipe_title]

[recipe]3 lbs. jumbo shrimps[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 lb. sweet butter[/recipe]

[recipe]3 egg yolks[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon lemon juice[/recipe]

[recipe]1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper, cayenne[/recipe]

[recipe]1/3 cup chili sauce[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup sour cream[/recipe]

[recipe]2 cups salad oil[/recipe]

[recipe]1 bottle Major Grey's Chutney, ice cold[/recipe]

Prepare saffron rice, recipe below. Peel and devein shrimp. Wash and dry well with paper toweling. Heat butter in saucepan until melted, but not brown. Put egg yolks in blender. Run blender at low speed. Very slowly add butter in a very thin stream. When butter is all used, add lemon juice and curry powder. Season to taste with salt, pepper and cayenne. (Some curry powders, while strong, require added pepper.) Keep sauce in a warm spot until serving time, but do not place over heat. Mix chili sauce and sour cream. Heat oil in saucepan until it shows first sign of smoke. Pour into fondue dish. Let stand over trivet flame 5 minutes before serving shrimps. Divide shrimps among plates. Serve curry sauce, sour-cream sauce and chutney at table. Pass saffron rice.

[recipe_title]Saffron Rice[/recipe_title]

[recipe]2 cups converted rice[/recipe]

[recipe]4 cups water[/recipe]

[recipe]2 teaspoons salad oil[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 teaspoon saffron[/recipe]

[recipe]2 teaspoons salt[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup yellow raisins[/recipe]

Bring water to a boil. Add salad oil, saffron, salt and rice. Stir well. When water comes to a second boil, turn flame as low as possible. Keep rice covered. Cook without stirring until rice is tender -- about 20 minutes. Add raisins, fluffing rice with fork.

The fondue offers togetherness of the most felicitous sort. It is almost impossible to be stuffy, stiff or starchy when you and your guests are closely and informally gathered round the fondue dish. So relax and dip in.