Cheese Fondue (Fondue au Fromage)

We got a fondue pot for a wedding present, over 2 years ago, and we don't use it often enough, but we both like fondue. We've made this recipe for cheese fondue before, with and without the tomato chutney. Oddly, the instruction booklet that came with the fondue pot had no recipes for a standard cheese fondue (although there was a "French Brie and Onion Fondue," which doesn't appear at all in the French language section of the booklet), they were all various forms of meat fondues and dips. Then we noticed that the French side of the instruction book has several pages of information about cheese fondues, plus 9 different recipes. I guess they thought that English speakers wouldn't like them (the German is intermediate, with a single cheese fondue recipe).

I would like to translate the whole cheese fondue section of the French section, but for now, here is the first recipe. It is practically the same as two versions available online, in French and English, but with its own campy flair:

The Classic Recipe

proportions, per person:

150-180 g Gruyère (grated or cut into thin strips)

100 mL white wine

1 tsp. lemon juice

150-180 g bread

and in addition, for the fondue:
1 clove garlic
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 shot of Kirsch
pepper (or grated nutmeg or paprika to taste)

After rubbing the interior of the fondue pot with the garlic clove, add the wine and lemon juice. Place it over a live fire, and, when hot, add the grated cheese, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon.

When the mixture has begun to boil, add the cornstarch, having previously dissolved it in the Kirsch, and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Your fondue is ready. You may proudly bring your culinary work to the table and place it over the lighted burner. Complete the seasoning with pepper, nutmeg or paprika to taste.

Do not forget to stir the fondue occasionally while eating to keep it well mixed. Little by little, at the bottom of the pot, the grillon will form. It must be divided fairly, for it is the best part...

The ambiance is created and gaiety reigns...

The literal translation for grillon is "cricket", but I suspect that his usage is unrelated, derived instead from griller, to grill or broil.

English booklet cover:












French booklet cover:

Orange Chicken

I was looking for an orange chicken recipe that doesn't require deep frying. This one was OK, but I should have been more careful to dry off the marinaded chicken before dredging it in flour - it made a gooey mes in the bottom of the wok. The sauce was good.

It's a lot like General Tso's chicken - it's not that hard, but makes a mess an takes several steps. In the end there are a lot of simpler meals that are just as good.