Brad Cooks - Dip into this

New!  Brad Cooks feature series - Brad Smoliak — Chef, Catering Guru and Teacher Extraordinaire will be answering questions about preparing, presenting and serving Alberta food products.

Story by Lynn Haley and Brad Smoliak

Welcome to Brad Cooks—a new Food for Thought feature designed for creative cooks like you. Many of you have been asking about fondues. Here’s what Brad has to say...

Sharing a bubbling pot of fabulous fondue is perfect for friendship and fun. Here’s how to make it easy…

Fondue is a French term that literally means “to melt”. While we often think of fondue in terms of melted cheese, there’s a whole menu of dipping delights to sample everything from flavoured oils to oh so decadent chocolate.

Fondues got their start from pure practicality. Back in the 16th century, there weren’t many cooking tools to work with, so Europeans simply heated up wine in a pot, added a little cheese, and dipped in a hunk of bread to sop it up.

Get equipped

Today, fondues are little more upscale (although still very simple in terms of ingredients) and take advantage of new technology in the cookware department. Electric fondues (particularly those with digital thermometers) are your best bet for meat fondues (which are broth or oil based) because they’ll allow you to adjust temperatures evenly and keep ingredients food safe.

For chocolate and cheese fondue, Brad prefers earthenware pots heated with fuel, but really any fondue pot will do. Pots heated with a candle usually end up creating a hot spot and can burn the food. As well, candles don’t usually heat the food up enough to prevent bacteria growth if the fondue will be sitting for a while.

Be adventurous

You can fondue just about anything. Brad’s family hosts an annual fondue party. Each couple brings a meat or a protein which makes sure there is variety (it also keeps the cost down for the host). It’s become a bit of a competition to see who brings the most creative ingredients!

The good thing about fondues is you can be adventurous. This method of cooking encourages even the most reluctant to sample new foods in small, bite sized pieces. Give exotic meats like bison, elk, and wild boar a whirl. Traditional proteins like beef, lamb, pork, chicken, shrimp, scallops, salmon work every time; but add new taste sensations with spicy sauces.

Dip Into This….

Here’s the real thing—Alberta style.

Traditional Cheese Fondue

500 g (1 lb)               shredded Gouda cheese
300 mL (1 1/4 cup) traditional ale, or a hearty traditional ale or some other good flavoured beer
1                                 garlic clove
5 mL (1 tsp)             flour mixed with 10 mL (2 tsp) water
salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste
2 loaves                   day old bread cut into cubes for dipping

Rub a heavy earthenware dish with the garlic clove. Add the beer and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, then add the cheese and whisk for 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted; add the flour mixture and continue to whisk. Do not allow mixture to boil, and keep at just below the simmer point. Dip, sip and smile!

Brad’s Seven Tips for Fabulous Fondues

1. Cut all food products the same size to ensure everything cooks evenly.

2. Do all preparation ahead of time so you can sit with your guests during dinner (if you’re serving cheese fondue, have plenty of extra bread or veggies cut up).

3. If you are serving a variety of meats, make sure each one has its own dish to prevent cross contamination. Never put raw meat and fresh vegetables in the same dish.

4. Make sure your guests don’t put raw and cooked meat on their plates at the same time. Have a small separate plate to hold the raw product before doing the fondue.

5. Buy the freshest, best quality ingredients you can.

6. Beyond breads, consider different things for dipping like warm baby potatoes, raw mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower.