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French cheese fondue
French cheese fondue - about this recipe
I discovered that we already had hint to the origin of this recipe on our Vacherin cheese page. However, a recent reading of The Extraordinary Cookbook finally brought it to my attention. I have substituted the marvellous Pié d'Angloys cheese for the Vacherin used in Stefan's recipe as it is available all year round and is as ridiculously cheap as it gorgeous. If you want to try the original, Vacherin cheese is usually available from August and end of March. I believe it is available in the UK from Waitrose during this period. You could of course try this with more than one cheese, but that would be greedy, wouldn't it?
Ingredients
the fondue
- 1 box of Pié d'Angloys cheese
- 2 to 3 tablespoons of dry sherry
to dip
- Warm baby new potatoes
- Sliced ciabatta bread rolls
- A selection of thinly sliced cooked meats
- Pickled gherkins
- Pickled red cabbage
- Pickled onions
- Raw and blanched vegetables
Mise en place
180° C (350° F - gas 4), [fan oven 160° C & reduce cooking time by 10 mins per hour]
Method
- Take the cheese out of the box and line the box with a layer of good quality tin foil (some are better than others!)
- Line the lid with tin-foil
- Replace the cheese in the box
- Push the centre of the cheese down to make a little 'well'
- Use a fork to punch a few holes in the top of the cheese
- Pour the sherry into the cheese
- Leave it for an hour or so if you have the time
- Replace the lid and bake for 25 minutes
Serving suggestions
Break the top of the hot cheese open, sit the cheese in the middle of the table and surround it with your friends, lots of plates, napkins and things to dip into the cheese
Chef's note
I couldn't get Pié d'Angloys cheese the day I made this so I used what was available from a very limited selection of cheeses at our local supermarket. This was so good - I would try it with any of your favourite cheeses!
