Dunkin' again

Remember fondue?

Those hot pots of melted cheese were so ubiquitous in '70s American culture that every newlywed couple opened at least one fondue pot among their wedding bounty.

By the early '80s, the fad had faded, and most pots were stowed away.

But a desire for simple home entertaining has led many of us to rediscover those pots from the past. No longer exotic, fondue now feels comforting and nostalgic, with added appeal as an easy-on-the-budget, festive food that's quite versatile.

If you serve chocolate fondue for two, it's romantic. Serve cheese fondue during the week - even after school - and it's a special occasion. Serve fondue in courses for company and it's a party.

Fondue Night has become a tradition at our house. We were inspired initially by the menu of an expensive and now defunct fondue restaurant to create our own (higher quality and much less costly) version of a three- or four-course fondue meal.

The menu feels stylishly retro, is completely kid-friendly, and is a convivial way to gather and feed a group.

Invite a few couples or families together - in front of the fireplace if possible - around a pot of gooey cheese fondue with sliced baguette, apples, and sliced vegetables to dip. Offer cocktails or beer and wine, and some cider or spritzers for the kids.

Next, move to the dining room and find a place across from a simmering pot of seasoned broth. Spear thin-sliced beef, or marinated duck or tofu, and chunks of veggies and cook to order in the hot, savory liquid.

You can make a big salad, or, once all the meat and veggies are cooked and eaten, add a quantity of julienned vegetables, greens, even noodles or dumplings to the still-simmering broth for an easy, flavorful third course.

Later - back by the fire, perhaps - put out cordials or tea and coffee and several small pots of warm dessert dips with fresh and soft dried fruit, cake, and homemade marshmallows or graham crackers, to end the evening.

Any one of these courses is enough to offer - and on a snow day or for an early weeknight dinner, it can be more than enough.

The word fondue comes from the French fondre, "to melt" - an apt description of the melted cheese and wine mixture first served in French-speaking Switzerland. Now the term is used for not only warm cheese mixtures, but also for simmering liquids and hot oils in which to dip or cook food communally.

Each Swiss canton has its own classic cheese combination, and many cheese shops throughout Switzerland offer a proprietary blend of grated Alpine cheeses such Gruyere, Emmentaler, Appenzeller, Raclette, and Vacherin. Most cheese fondues cook a blend of cheeses in seasoned wine or beer, with some starch to bind. The right blend of cheeses ensures a good mix of nuttiness, sharpness, and complexity and also balances melting and textural qualities. I especially like sharp aged Cheddars, Fontinas, and nutty aged Goudas in my own proprietary blend.

Many other cultures have long traditions of warm dips and bubbling broths or oils in which to cook foods to order. Chinese "hot pots" have been served for more than 1,000 years. Various meat and seafood broths served in the center of the table allow diners to choose from sliced meats, seafood, and poultry, dumplings, and vegetables artfully arranged on platters. Selections are cooked in the broth and served with additional dipping sauces. This broth-style preparation is quite flavorful, light, and low fat. A small amount of tender meat can be sliced into many portions. I generally avoid chicken - even though it cooks quickly - because of the risk of cross-contamination from raw poultry.

There are many high-quality fondue pots available at almost every price. But if you keep your eye out at yard sales, and ask your friends, you'll be surprised how easy it is to gather a collection of slightly used or completely unused fondue sets very cheaply or free. Any heavy-bottomed saucepan - copper or cast iron - with some sort of warming stand and chafing burner works.

The easiest setup I've used is simply a nice saucepan held up by three bricks set in a triangle, with a can of sterno in the center underneath. Up to eight good friends can take turns around one cheese fondue pot - but for bubbly broths cooking meat, poultry or seafood, try to have enough pots going so no more than four to five people are sharing one cooking vessel.

Use your heaviest pots for the easy-to-scorch cheese fondue; the thin-walled decorative fondue sets are good for keeping the broth simmering. For cheese fondue I go directly from stove to warming ring with a heavy copper pot. Smaller ceramic, terra cotta, or copper pots are good for the very delicate and easy-to-burn chocolate and other dessert mixtures, which need only a candle to keep warm.

Experiment with different cheeses, meats, vegetables, and chocolates. I think you'll find that on these cold and dreary winter days, a warm aromatic pot of delicious food to share is never out of fashion.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

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1/2 pound Emmentaler (best quality you can find)

1/2 pound Gruyere (cave aged if available)

1/2 pound Appenzeller, Raclette, Comte, or Vacherin

4 to 5 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup white wine

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon Kirsch or Grand Marnier (optional)

Fresh nutmeg

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1. Remove the rinds and grate the cheeses. Mix grated cheeses together with the cornstarch.

2. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan heat the white wine and the minced garlic until simmering. Add the cheese slowly, a handful at a time, stirring constantly, until all the cheese is incorporated. Allow the mixture to simmer very gently for 30 seconds to one minute to allow the cornstarch to thicken and bind the mixture. If the mixture is too thick add up to a half-cup more wine.

3. Finish with a splash of Kirsch or Grand Marnier and a grating of fresh nutmeg. Transfer cooking pot from the stove to a chafing setup, or transfer fondue to a warm fondue pot to serve. Keep hot over a medium flame, stirring regularly as you dip and eat. Adjust flame as needed and take care not to scorch the cheese.

Note: To dip, use any combination of the following: Baguette or other crusty bread in slices or chunks, sliced apples, sliced pears, blanched cauliflower, blanched broccoli, sliced carrots (lightly blanched or raw), grapes, and sliced fresh fennel.

Per serving (based on 6): 496 calories, 32 grams protein, 10 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram sugar, 33 grams fat, 111 milligrams cholesterol, 298 milligrams sodium, no dietary fiber.EndText

Makes 4 to 6 servings

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1 pound young aged Gouda-style cheese such as Parrano, Prima Donna (you can substitute a good fontina or cheddar)

1/4-1/2 pound 3-5-year aged Gouda

4 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup good beer, such as Belgian or holiday ale

1 clove garlic, minced

1 shallot, minced

1/2 teaspoon Aleppo or other hot pepper flakes

One baguette or other crusty bread, cut into slices or chunks

2 to 4 cups of any combination of the following: sliced apples, sliced pears, blanched cauliflower, cooked firm potato wedges, sliced fennel, blanched broccoli, and sliced carrots (lightly blanched or raw).

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1. Remove rinds and grate the cheeses. Toss with the cornstarch.

2. In a heavy-bottomed pot, bring the beer to a simmer with the garlic, shallot, and pepper flakes. Add the cheese slowly, a handful at a time, stirring constantly, until all the cheese is incorporated.

3. Allow the mixture to simmer very gently for 30 seconds to one minute to allow the cornstarch to thicken and bind the mixture.

4. Transfer cooking pot from the stove to a chafing setup or transfer fondue to a warm fondue pot to serve. Keep hot over a medium flame, stirring regularly as you dip and eat. Adjust flame as needed and take care not to scorch the cheese.

Per serving (based on 6): 552 calories, 30 grams protein, 40 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams sugar, 29 grams fat, 113 milligrams cholesterol, 1,125 milligrams sodium, 3 grams dietary fiber.EndText

Makes 6 to 8 servings

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2 slices local bacon, sliced thin

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 shallots, minced

1/2 cup good red wine

2 quarts rich homemade beef broth

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced

1 bay leaf

2 pounds thinly sliced raw filet of beef, beef tenderloin or flank steak, lightly salted

2 cups par-cooked small potatoes, whole small mushrooms, zucchini chunks, par-cooked carrot and turnip chunks

Salt and pepper

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1. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan on medium heat, cook the sliced bacon until lightly browned, but still soft. Add the garlic and shallots and continue cooking until the bacon is crisp and shallots are well softened.

2. Add the wine and scrape off the bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the broth, tomato paste, and herbs and simmer for 30 minutes to an hour. Taste and season liberally. This can be made up to 4 days before serving.

3. Cook meat and vegetables in simmering broth at the table.

Note: Diners should season their meat and veggies with a sprinkle of Malden or other good salt crystals before eating. A creamy mustard or horseradish sauce would also be good on the side. (Whip heavy cream with salt and a generous amount of prepared horseradish or good prepared mustard.) Also, leftover broth can be enjoyed the next day with the addition of cooked white beans, fresh spinach, and a small handful of cooked noodles or potatoes.

Per serving (based on 8): 246 calories, 28 grams protein, 3 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram sugar, 11 grams fat, 50 milligrams cholesterol, 1,022 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber.EndText

Makes 6 to 8 servings

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12 ounces good quality dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces

16 ounces heavy cream

1 tablespoon cognac, Grand Marnier or coffee liqueur, or 3 tablespoons seedless raspberry preserves (all optional)

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1. Heat the cream in a heavy pot over medium heat until bubbles form around the edge. Turn the heat to low and add the chocolate. Stir until melted and smooth. Add the cognac or liqueur of your choice and serve. Keep warm over a votive candle, and take extra care not to scorch.

Note: For dessert fondues, dip any combination of the following: cubes of vanilla, chocolate, or almond pound cake; brownies; vanilla, chocolate, lemon, or ginger cookies; marshmallows (homemade if possible); graham crackers (also excellent if homemade); pretzel sticks; sliced apples or pears (left from the cheese fondue course, perhaps); soft dried apricots or figs; sections of orange or clementine; spears of pineapple; whole strawberries; banana chunks; meringues; ladyfingers; angel food cake; and biscotti.

Per serving (based on 8, fondue only): 440 calories, 3 grams protein, 28 grams carbohydrates, 22 grams sugar, 35 grams fat, 85 milligrams cholesterol, 23 milligrams sodium, 3 grams dietary fiber.EndText

Makes 6 to 8 servings

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2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup maple syrup

2 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 tablespoons rum or cognac (optional)

1/2 cup finely chopped toasted pecans

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1. Place the sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat and cook until the sugar begins to melt and caramelize. Very carefully add the maple syrup and cream (the mixture will boil vigorously for a few seconds) and simmer until thickened - about 10 minutes. Add the vanilla, rum or cognac, and half of the pecans.

2. Transfer to serving pot and sprinkle in the remaining pecans. Serve with a selection of dippers.

Note: For dessert fondues, dip any combination of the following: cubes of vanilla, chocolate, or almond pound cake; brownies; vanilla, chocolate, lemon, or ginger cookies; marshmallows (homemade if possible); graham crackers (also excellent if homemade); pretzel sticks; sliced apples or pears (left from the cheese fondue course, perhaps); soft dried apricots or figs; sections of orange or clementine; spears of pineapple; whole strawberries; banana chunks; meringues; ladyfingers; angel food cake; and biscotti.

Per serving (based on 8, fondue only): 352 calories, 2 grams protein, 28 grams carbohydrates, 24 grams sugar, 27 grams fat, 82 milligrams cholesterol, 24 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber.

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