Yum! February: Heart-warming pleasures

"Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all."
-- Harriet van Horne

Cooking is our passion, so in February we will chat about foods we love to cook. Since cheese is high on the list, fondue is the perfect place to start. Who doesn't love dunking chunks of fresh bread in melted cheese? This tasty dish originated in the canton of Neuchatel, Switzerland, in the 18th century when wine and cheese were common ingredients in most homes.

Fondue is made from at least two cheese varieties (we love the traditional Gruyère and Emmenthaler combination because Emmenthaler mellows the fuller flavoured Gruyère), melted with a bit of wine and bound with flour or cornstarch to prevent the cheese from separating. This just might be the perfect winter dish for entertaining -- it's communal, fun and requires little more than grating cheese and opening some wine.

Intrigued? Check out our fabulous recipe for Swiss Cheese Fondue.

Fabulous fondue tips:
• Cut baguette or crusty French or Italian bread into bite-sized cubes so that each piece has a bit of crust to anchor it on the fork during dunking.
• If the fondue gets too thick, add some warmed wine; if the fondue is too soft, add more cheese.
• When the fondue is finished a thin crust remains in the pan -- a real treat called religieuse in Switzerland. You can divide it among your guests or, scramble an egg in the crust (but we recommend stealing the pot away to the kitchen and enjoying it yourself).
• Leftover fondue is great reheated in the oven over bread or boiled potatoes.

Fondue wines:
Dry or semi-dry white wines such as Swiss Fendant, Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling are the best choices for cooking with fondue or drinking alongside.

Fondue cheese:

Emmental (Emmenthaler)
Switzerland's oldest and most important cheese is named for Emmental valley. Made from cow's milk, it is light gold with marble-size holes, a natural light brown rind and a distinctively sweet, nutty flavour.

Gruyère cheese
Named for Switzerland's Gruyère valley in the canton of Fribourg, this cow's-milk cheese is usually aged for 10 to 12 months, has a firm, pale yellow interior, medium-size holes and a sweet, nutty, full flavour that is prized both for cooking and eating out-of-hand.

Fondue pots:
Many people have a fondue set hidden away in a closet, but if you are looking to buy a new one, ceramic pots (called a caquelon or caclon) are traditional for cheese and chocolate as they hold the heat without burning. On the other hand, metal pots are designed for broth and oil fondues.

For a look at some fondue pots available on the market, click here.

No pot? Don't worry. For a family dinner, use a heavy bottomed pot and bring it right to the table, though you will have to get up a few times to reheat the congealed cheese.