Wisconsin Cheese-Trio Fondue

I am waiting as we speak for the man to call me to tell me he is bringing my oven home.  I feel like I have been without it for 100 years!  That may be a slight exageration.  100 years... 2 weeks... give or take a day.  Whatever, it's been a while and my body is begining to protest to the junk I have been eating.  Not to mention I don't like to leave large electrical plugs bare for the children or animals to touch.  It's one thing to be without an oven, it an entirely different thing to worry about your cat electrocuting itself on a nightly basis.  It has been stressful.  More stressful is that they cannot figure out what is wrong with it.  It worked perfectly for them... of course!

I hope it works for me because I just received my copy of ad hoc at home, I know I know... that's sooo last year, but I have issues spending $50 on a cookbook.  Especially when I heard that the average number of recipes one cooks out of a cookbook is 3-5.  Of course that does break down to about $10 a recipe... that's so bad when you are talking Thomas Keller.  Really not so bad considering I already tried out the Fennel Mustard recipe... lovely, and the chocolate brownies... DIVINE!  I can't wait to cook up some homestyle comfort food.

Until then, we must make due with food that does not require an oven.  I realized I never gave you the recipe for the cheese fondue from the fondue night.  This is AMAZING.  I use all caps because I am shouting at you.  YOU MUST TRY THIS.  Seriously I think I would have licked the pot if there hadn't been company present.

Wisconsin Trio Cheese Fondue

Ingredients

6 oz. shredded Butterkäse cheese, [can be found at Whole foods, but you can also substitute Gouda
          if you can't find Butterkäse, I found Beerkäse and used that].  Always measure cheese by weight.
6oz. shredded Fontina Cheese (6oz)
3 Tbsp flour
¾ cup white wine
¼ cup dry sherry
2 tsp chopped shallots
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 oz. crumbled blue cheese
2 Tbsp chopped scallions

Method

Toss the Butter(Beer)käse and Fontina cheese with the flour in a bowl. Place a metal bowl over a saucepan filled with 2 inches of water. You may also use a conventional double boiler. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and pour the wine and sherry into the bowl. Sit in the shallots using a fork. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

Add half the cheese blend and cook until the cheese is melted, stirring constantly. Add the remaining cheese blend a small amount at a time, stirring constantly in a circular motion after each addition until the cheese is melted. Fold in the pepper and Blue cheese. Pour into a warm fondue pot and keep warm over low heat. Garnish with the scallions.

NOTE: The cheese is shredded and tossed with flour to aid din thickening and to improve the viscosity of the fondue. The fondue should be the consistency of warm honey when completed. Monitor the cheese carefully as it is being added. Not all of the cheese may be needed, and, in some cases, more cheese may be needed to reach the perfect consistency.

Recommended dipping accompaniments: Variety of breads (however not the pecan one that I tried.  Cheese goes with many thing, but not cinnamon... ewww.  Thought it was just a nut loaf.), green apples, mixed vegetables.

Garden Party Part II

We are on vacation, well we are off from work and on the road to attend a wedding, and being on vacation leaves little room for cooking. At least this particular vacation leaves little time for cooking, and lots of time in the car. Lots of time to think about my latest food trend, or should I say food torture device? I am attempting to go Gluten-free. I started last Thursday. That was the same day we started our mini vacation. When I say these things together they immediately lead to one thought. Bad timing!

If you have ever spent time in the real world and were trying to eat Gluten free you would quickly realize it is in everything. Which makes this recipe all the more painful to write about. It was easy and tasty at the time but now will have to be eaten sans bun. However, if you are one of blessed people that does not have Celiacs, a gluten intolerance, or the desire to torture yourself by attempting gluten free, such as myself, you will enjoy the burger that much more. If you happen to be avoiding gluten you might try this with two marinated grilled portabella mushrooms instead of the bun, let me know how it turns out.

Pancetta Cheeseburgers

Ingredients

4 thin slices of pancetta
1 ¼ lbs ground chuck
¾ teaspoon coarse salt
½ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon paprika
Freshly ground pepper
4 ounces fontina cheese, grated or thinly sliced
4 good quality hamburger buns, toasted if desired (or maybe gluten free if available)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Basting brush

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pancetta on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, flipping halfway through, until crisp, about 15 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

Meanwhile, using your hands, combine ground chuck, salt, chili powder, and paprika in a bowl, and season with pepper. Shape into 4 patties (about 4 inches in diameter), if you want to avoid the fat center burger shape, you can make a small indent in the center of the burger, that way when it cooks it plumps to the same size as the rest of the burger.

Preheat grill to medium. Grill burgers 4 to 5 minutes. Baste with butter. Flip burgers, and top with cheese. Grill 3 to 4 minutes more for medium-rare, basting with butter. Remove and let rest 5 minutes. Top burgers with pancetta, and serve on buns.

Balsamic Mushrooms

Ingredients

¼ cup olive oil
1 pound baby bellas (quartered)
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon coarse salt
¼ teaspoon red-pepper flakes
Freshly ground pepper

Method

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar, salt, and red-pepper flakes, and season with pepper. Cook 1 minute more. Transfer to a bowl, serve warm or room temperature, I recommend room temp so you can do it before people come.

Serves 4