Just as surely as the sea lions will return to Entrance Island every January, some food editor somewhere will proclaim that the fondue is back. I could show you magazine articles spanning the past 20 years making the same pronouncement. In fact, Jordan was just recently interviewed by a Calgary paper putting together yet another article about this newsworthy event. (About the fondue; not the sea lions!)

            I would argue that fondue never really left. It may hide out for short periods while we go through the pendulum swings of various low this-or-that diets, but eventually, common sense takes hold, and we rediscover the enjoyment of good foods in moderation.

            Fondue may not be low-fat or low-carb, but it certainly is high in flavour and entertainment value. Time to dig out my favourite flea market finds: the brilliant blue and orange enamel-on-steel fondue pots; the assortment of rosewood handled forks; and that darling set of ‘60s-coloured ceramic divided plates. We are going fonduing!

            “Fondue” comes from the French word for melt and in Switzerland, where cheese has always been a staple, it was a way of making a meal out of little more than cheese and stale bread. Traditional Swiss fondue is made of two varieties of aged cheeses, Emmenthal and Gruyère, white wine, kirsch, flour, nutmeg, salt and pepper. And lots of bread. The classic fondue pot in either enamel-on-steel, copper, or ceramic became THE wedding gift of the ‘60s. Everyone was doing it!

            This dish inspired many other dishes that involved either a heated dipping sauce for vegetables, breads and pre-cooked meats or heated oil or broth in which raw meats and seafood were cooked at the table. In the ‘70s, the epitome of sophistication was the fondue bourguignonne. Raw beef, either thinly sliced and rolled or cubed, was skewered onto long fondue forks, everyone remembering which one was theirs as identified by the coloured bead at the end. It was never one of my favourite meals. It could take hours, especially with too many dipping into one pot, severely lowering the oil temperature, resulting often in a dinner of carpaccio. Even when I did eat beef, I preferred mine cooked.

            Another version of fondue is the Chinese fondue, often called a Mongolian hotpot. In this pot, broth is heated to cook bite-sized pieces of chicken, beef, and fish, which are then dipped in a variety of oriental style sauces. Again, a rather lengthy process to undertake if someone is truly hungry.

            Probably the most decadent of all fondue is the chocolate fondue. Only your imagination limits the things that taste great dipped in chocolate: cookies, cakes, maraschino cherries, almonds, marshmallows, dried and fresh fruits.

            There are  many ethnic-inspired fondue knock-offs. Italian fondue is a vodka-laced spaghetti sauce to dip bread sticks, cooked meatballs, tortellini (perogies might have to do), artichokes, and anything else that seems Italian to you. Mexican is a nacho cheese sauce served with tortilla chips, peppers, Mexican sausage…You get the idea. There is no end to the possibilities as long as you have the fondue pot.

            I’d have to say that my favourite fondue is the classic cheese. Several years ago, I wrote an article on “How I got my kids to eat their vegetables.” It still makes sense. Kids like food on sticks and fire. The cheese fondue has come a long way from just a dip for bread. It is now a meal served with a variety of vegetables and fruits and even pre-cooked meats and seafood. Jordan and I always found it a fun supper with the boys, and they for once didn’t complain about eating their broccoli.

             I have in the past often used the pre-packaged fondues or made more of a cheese sauce for the dip. Jordan and I decided to go authentic the last time we served this meal and where better to look than in another flea market find; a fondue cookbook from the ‘60s. The author offers a few tips which might seem silly at first, but will improve your fondue experience.

            She recommends cutting your cheeses into small cubes rather than shredding, then tossing them lightly in flour. This prevents the cheese from clumping. While one person is stirring the heated—but not boiling—wine, in a figure-eight pattern with a wooden spoon, the other adds a handful only of cheese, and no more until the first handful is fully melted. This may seem over-cautious, but it really worked.        

            Another thing I have discovered is that using a crockery fondue pot over an alcohol burner seems to work best for cheese. You can maintain just the right temperature: too hot and you boil and burn; too cool and you clump.

            This is not a dish for those with communal food phobias. Your fork will touch others, and yes, there is going to be double dipping involved, even if you supply plenty of regular forks for eating. But even I who winces at the “special-ness” of Valentine’s Day would have to admit that this would be one fine way to spend that evening with family and friends.