Fondue, Fondid, Fondone

Well, this was the best Valentine's Day we've had in years. Hands down.

We are now officially crazy for fondue! It was so stinking good! We all made absolute pigs of ourselves, even Jude McPicky. And it was FUN, all of us circled around the flaming Sterno pot, dipping and slurping. Decadent. And SO stinking EASY.

First Course - Shrimp in Tomato Sauce

Not fondue. But this was Jude's request, and I just couldn't refuse him. He has only recently decided that he likes shrimp. Now, you have to understand how big this is for our family. Jimmy and I are serious seafood eaters, and Jude's refusal to even try things was a big, fat pain in the butt. But he has now decided that he likes shrimp, but only if it is cooked in a tomato sauce. So...

Shrimp in Tomato Sauce

1 28-oz can San Marzano tomatoes, whole, peeled

1 big clove garlic, minced

a couple of tablespoons of olive oil

1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

Put tomatoes and their juice in a blender and puree.

Heat oil in a large saucepan, add the garlic and saute for about 30 seconds. Add tomato puree and about a half a can of water.

Bring to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes. Add shrimp and simmer for about 5 minutes, until shrimp are just cooked through.

You can then serve this over linguini or spaghetti. But for some reason Jude decided he wanted the shrinp served on a plate as an appetizer - I think he just likes when he gets to use the little cocktail forks. Anyway, I saved the sauce to go over pasta the next day.

Jude ate about 20 shrimp! Jimmy is worried that we've created a monster, and now there's going to be fewer shrimp for him!

Second Course - Cheese Fondue

I really didn't think that Jude was going to eat this, as there's a fairly sophisticated flavor profile to this cheese - not your usual kid-friendly American or Cheddar. But he LOVED it (though he only dipped the bread and crab - nary a vegetable). Plus, it's a big, stringy, cheese adventure in eating, so what's not to love.

I fear that this is so good, that we MUST get the leftovers out of the house, because neither Jimmy or I have been able to keep our heads out of the fridge. It's totally addicting. This is very bad.

Classic Cheese Fondue

I found this exact recipe in three different places around the internet. And Jan's recipe is basically the same thing, just tweaked to fit her "real food" diet. So I'm guessing it's pretty classic.

1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb. Gruyere cheese
3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
A splash or two of kirsch (optional - I didn't have any, so did without)

Toss the cheese with the flour. Place a saucepan over medium heat and add the wine and garlic. Bring to a simmer and add the cheese, one handful at a time stirring until the cheese is melted in before adding the next handful. Stir in the nutmeg.

Stir over low heat until smooth and cheese is melted and bubbling. Add the kirsch, if using, and continue stirring just until it begins to bubble. Transfer the cheese mixture to a heated fondue pot when ready for dipping. Stir frequently.

I served it with blanched cauliflower, cubed crusty bread, roasted brussels sprouts, roasted fingerling potatoes and chunks of crab leg.

But you can basically use any blanched or roasted vegetable you want that you think goes with cheese. Jan even used apple slices, which I kind of wish I had done, as Jude would have probably eaten them.

Weird, artsy (out of focus) shots of fondue

Dessert - Chocolate Fondue

In all seriousness, I have never witnessed anything as depraved and animalistic as Jimmy and Jude falling upon this big pot of hot, melted chocolate. They were like Augustus Gloop and the river of chocolate in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. They were like vampires swooping down on a fresh kill. It was stunning and a little frightening. They both ended up with chocolate dripping down their chins and forearms!

Chocolate Fondue

1 lb. premium semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, well chopped
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

In a medium saucepan over low heat bring the cream to a simmer. Add the chocolate. Simmer, stirring until the chocolate is melted. Transfer the mixture to a fondue pot.

I served it with little brownie squares, chocolate chip cookies, strawberries and a cut up glazed donut. But you could use pretty much any kind of fresh or dried fruit, as well as cubes of angel food cake, pound cake, graham crackers, lady fingers, marshmallows or biscotti.

I'm seriously thinking of doing more fondue for the Academy Awards. Maybe this time I'll try the broth fondue version - you heat broth in the pot and everybody skewers little chunks of steak, chicken or shrimp and cooks it themselves in the broth, and you serve it with a variety of dipping sauces. Although, it seems like this might require a bit of patience, and neither Jimmy nor Jude have any. We'll see.

After we all ate ourselves silly and Jimmy and I drank a bottle of champagne, we all snuggled into the bed together again. The men and the dog were snoring within minutes, and I got to plug my earplugs into my laptop and watch a little Netflix in bed. An excellent way to end the evening!

What did you do to celebrate Valentine's Day?

Comments

[Lisa]

And I thought my heart shaped meatloaf was clever. You totally win - my mouth is watering thinking about it!

[Andrea]

I am getting the elliptical all drooly wet with fondue longing!

[Jan]

I just tweaked it to keep out the gluten, of which there's been far too much in the house since Jolly and The G Man have been here. I love them both to death, but I'll be very glad once they've moved into their new town house.

Isn't fondue fun? All of The Young One's friends just loved it - I'm so glad Jude did, too.

[VandyJ]

Oh, that looks and sounds like such fun. Nick and I did fondue with friends for New Years one year. They had the cheese kind and a broth kind. It's easiest to have two sets and have cheese and broth going at the same time. Then while your meat cooks, you eat cheesy goodness. Patience problem solved.
Oh, my spin is up:
http://tttandme.blogspot.com/2012/02/spin-cycle-red-face-and-all.html

[Sarah at 32Flavors]

We did the broth fondue for my sister's very small wedding reception. I was 16, and I remember thinking it was the coolest meal I'd ever had.

We picked up a heart shaped pizza (hooray for no cooking!) and had a lovely evening. I got the best Valentines ever from my older two. They enjoyed showing us all of their Valentine loot from school. It was nice.

[Becky]

I had fondue for Valentine's Day one time! And then I got fondid at the beach. I can't believe I just said that.

I think that is the coolest! It sounds like a perfect evening for sure. What are you watching on Netflix these days? You saw all the BBC Sherlock's right? That put me on a Benedict Cumberbatch kick. This is turning into a whole other topic. xo