Fondue

[Binky Profile]

I came across this in an old Claudia Roden book, and realised that we hadn't had a fondue for about 20 years. I think I will do a cheese fondue at the weekend.

I also came across a tattered recipe for rock buns, which I used to make regularly when we both worked and needed packed lunches. I made a batch this afternoon and I have lost 'the knack' as these are more like small cakes (but taste just as nice as the traditional rock bun).

Is there anything you used to cook, but have not made for a long time, and wish to revive?

[Lusciouslush Profile]

Oh Lordie………….rock cakes were something I used to do in cookery classes at school when I was very young trillions of years ago - I used to take them home in a gingham covering basket on the bus - the whole family said they were lovely - I seriously don't think they were - you could probably play football with them...….

But it was a start............

Never been a big fan of cheese fondue - actually lots of fondue stories I could tell!

[Badger's Mate Profile]

Fat rascals spring to mind now when I think of rock cakes.

The last time I went to a fondue evening, the hostess had been sampling the meths from the burner before we got there. Mrs B had a fondue set in a former life but seemed quite keen to pass it on to a charity shop when we got together.

Two dishes I used to make have recently leapt back into my mind, both as a result of threads on this board. The more seasonal one is a blackberry chutney, hopefully I can find the recipe and make my first batch for decades over the next few weeks. The other is a Kate & Sidney pudding with anchovy and garlic. To be made when the evenings draw in and the nights get colder.

[Binky Profile]

Fat rascals. Have never made them but have bought many a rascal at Betty's in York.


https://www.bettys.co.uk/cakes/fat-rascals

[Joanbunting Profile]

Fondue has never been a long forgotten dish in this household. I love fondue either cheese or meat . When the family or a big groupof friends come round it stil is the perfect dish for a fun , relaxed and easy dish. I couldn;t care less if it is no longer cool or whatever. If everyone is partaking, eating and having fun that's fine by me. Not only that it gives great memories for the future to the family and that, to me is so important.

I freely admit I still cook suet puddings and many of the dishes which probably don;t feature much these days. Obviously not all the time but just now and then to remind the ttwo of us that there were good things in the past. Maybe I;m lucky that my mum and family were good cooks!

[Binky Profile]

these are the rock buns by the way

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[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

How lovely - I won't have to worry about my teeth with those, Binky. Unlike my attempt at school that were inedible.

I still have my le C. fondu. I use it for sauces, and it's my egg boiling pot.

My first taste of fondu was a L'Avenir restaurant in Lausanne. It was the only resto that was cheap enough for a student to patronize.
Duly warned not to drink coke with the meal.
I believe it's one of the best cheesy dishes I've ever eaten.

I tried it a couple of times at home, without compliments, so I didn't bother again, and the burner has long since gone, unless it's at at the back of the cupboard.


My retro return would be vol-au-vents.
And garlic mushrooms.

[Binky Profile]

Vol-au-vents. That brings back memories. I laboriously made vol-au-vents from a Marguerite Patten recipe. It was 1978 and we were moving away, so we wanted a nice party and lots of lovely vol-au-vents filled the bill.

I left them on a kitchen counter, covered with tea towels, until the party. Coming back an hour later, I found our cat Patrick asleep on the whole lot. Bah.

Another retro thing was putting mashed potato into an icing bag and making dainty shapes, then putting them in the oven to brown. What a faff.

[Pampy Profile]

I left them on a kitchen counter, covered with tea towels, until the party. Coming back an hour later, I found our cat Patrick asleep on the whole lot. Bah.

Sorry to laugh Binky but that's just so typical of a cat!

[Binky Profile]

When we were selling our house in Kenilworth, we had a viewing on the same evening that we had planned a dinner with friends.

In order to be organised, I laid out smoked salmon and brown bread as a starter, all nicely present on the dining table (and I thought it would impress the potential buyers).

Whilst showing the viewers round, we entered the dining room to find the cat Patrick on the table, eating the salmon, and to add insult to injury, he'd also licked the butter on the brown bread.

He was our favourite cat, despite his antics.

[Pampy Profile]

He sounds just like my 5 cats were! The alpha male - Bird - absolutely loved spicy food and stole it at every opportunity. He liked nothing better than a tasty curry or salt and pepper chicken wings. A vet's nurse told me it wasn't good for him but there was no way I could stop him thieving - and as he lived to a couple of months short of 20, I don't think it did him too much harm.
Back to fondue - I used to make it regularly in the mid/late 1970s but never since. Might give it another go.

[Binky Profile]

I have a piece of gruyere in the fridge which will make a small fondue. I'm thinking of using white vermouth instead of white wine. That will be OK, won't it?

[Pampy Profile]

I'm sure it will. Sounds nice - let us know what you think of it please.

[Joanbunting Profile]

On fondues of the cheese variety. We had lunch with, among others, our Swiss friends , who before we went home said they would call us as soon as it got a bit cooler to arrange a date for our yearly fondue party, She makes the best cheese fondue I have ever had she uses a tsp of arrowroot in kirsch to stabilise it and serves the fondue with white wine from fer family vinyards in the Valais but there is always a shot glass of ive cold kirsch as well.

As you may guess, it ten to be a very lively evening!

[jeral Profile]

I have a piece of gruyere in the fridge which will make a small fondue. I'm thinking of using white vermouth instead of white wine. That will be OK, won't it?

It's been forever since I made one. I thought it better to do a Google and found this: https://toriavey.com/how-to/how-to-make ... se-fondue/

The link lists dry vermouth as a suitable wine. You might find the comments below useful too.

I bought some extra dry white vermouth recently which was incredibly strong tasting but presumably yours is the normal one.

[karadekoolaid Profile]

It´s wonderful with Kirsch! But I think vermouth would work just fine as well. Heck, I made one the other day with Belgian witbeer!!

[mark111757 Profile]

I am partial to the one in JO five part xmas seriezy.

Here is a similar one from food network

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jam ... ue-2122346

Or

https://www.womanandhome.com/recipes/ki ... se-fondue/