Gooey Melted fondue

There nothing tastier than melted cheese covering chunks of crusty bread. Unless it's cubes of pound cake, bananas or strawberries dipped in melted chocolate. Last night at our Culinary Club meeting, we sampled both. One demonstration centered around the Classic Swiss Fondue made by melting lots of shredded Emmenthaler and Gruyere cheese into white wine, such as a Sauvingnon Blanc. This recipe is yummy beyond compare!  
  
Here is the complete recipe for you to try: 

Classic Swiss Fondue-Courtesy of Cheryl Vassiliadis
1/2 lb Emmenthaler Cheese-shredded
1/2 lb Gruyere Cheese- shredded
1 clove fresh garlic
 2 cups dry white wine
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
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3 Tablespoons Kirsch
1/4 top white pepper
Pinch of grated nutmeg

Rub inside of pan with the garlic clove. Heat up the white wine and lemon juice, but do not boil. Slowly add cheese and melt while stirring. Slowly add remaining ingredients while stirring to combine. Serve with cubes of crusty bread. 

And for the chocoholics among you, this is also very, very decadent.

Chocolate Fondue-Courtesy of Cheryl Vassiliadis

1 12-ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

¾ cup heavy cream

1 Tablespoon Cognac liqueur or brandy

Over low heat or in the microwave warm the cream for about one minute. Add the chocolate chips and stir until melted. Add Cognac and blend. Transfer to small fondue pot to keep warm. Serve with pound cake, bananas, strawberries, large marshmallows and pretzel sticks.

     

Fresh fruits and veggies

This photo taken at a fresh market in Europe brings back wonderful memories of those large, open-air markets chocked full of just-picked berries, veggies and flowers. One of my resolutions for 2011 is to indulge in an abundance of fruits and veggies in my meals.

That makes for a healthier lifestyle and adds lots of flavor and variety to my diet. One of the healthiest eating regimens is the Mediterranean Diet, which includes fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes or beans and delicious whole grain breads and baked goods. Thick Greek yogurt is a super way to get a good dose of calcium. But this uber-thick yogurt is also terrific as a breakfast or dessert. Just layer the yogurt with fresh fruits and swirls of honey and top with nuts or granola.

New for 2011

Bright beginnings all around for 2011. Blinding, white snow and slippery ice covers everything around and we are waiting for a warm-up so the ice and snow will melt and life can return to normal. Georgia is unaccustomed to long term accumulations of snow and ice so we are at a standstill. But warmer temps are forecast soon.