Jan 15

Jan 15 Fondue Feasting

You don’t have to be at a ski resort to enjoy the comforting cheesy joy of fondue. At its most traditional, it was served with just stale bread. In this recipe, I’ve introduced nutty roast cauliflower, crunchy garlic croutons, peppery fresh chicory leaves, spicy salami and sweet sour padron peppers to make it feel like a proper feast.

If you are over your new year diet with the weather still cold, this recipe is a great excuse to get a few friends and family together. Tuck in, connect and enjoy a mood boost which will set you up to sail through the rest of this gloomiest of months.

Serves: 6

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 200c/180c fan/Gas Mark 6

Toss the prepared cauliflower florets on baking sheet with 1 tbsp of the olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for 20- 25 minutes, until the cauliflower takes on colour but remains quite firm.

To make croutons, cut the ciabatta into cubes and place in a bowl and then toss in 1 tbsp of the olive oil. Sprinkle over the garlic powder and toss, then spread out on a baking sheet and season well. Bake for 10-15 minutes until brown and crispy.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan and fry off the Padron peppers until they start to blacken slightly. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Prep the chicory leaves by removing them from the stalk whole and then washing them clean.

Once everything is cooked, turn the oven down to low with the door slightly ajar, if possible. Put all the prepared ingredients, except the chicory in the oven to keep warm while you prepare the fondue.

Remove any rind from the cheeses and grate or cube. Measure out the wine. I am preparing the fondue in a saucepan and then transferring it to a fondue pot as mine (like many others) won’t take direct heat on a cooker.

Rub the inside of the fondue pot with garlic and pop it into the bottom of the warming oven.

In a saucepan, gently heat the wine until it steams.

Gradually add the cheeses and stir over a gently heat until they melt and come together to form a silky sauce. Do not let it boil or the cheese will become stringy and there is no way back from this.

When it is ready, finish with a grating of nutmeg and a pinch of both white and cayenne pepper, and pour it into the prepared fondue pot.

Pop all the accompaniments onto a platter or into different bowls and serve with the fondue. Enjoy straight away.

Make Ahead

You can make everything except the fondue ahead if you like and then warm everything except the chicory in a 180c/160c fan/Gas 5 for around 15 minutes oven while you make the fondue. The fondue itself will need to be made just before serving.

Ingredients

1/2 head of cauliflower cut into florets

400g sourdough cut into rustic cubes

2 tsp garlic powder

130g Padron peppers

1 head of red chicory

12 slices good salami

200ml Muscadet white wine

200g Gruyere cheese, grated

200g mature Cheddar cheese grated

200g Taleggio cheese, cubed

3 tbsp olive oil