D is for Dinner: Fondue

On D is for Dinner this week, the chef and owner of Absinthe shares his recipes for cheese fondue and chocolate fondue.

D is for a Dinner is a weekly food segment on CBC Radio's All in A Day with Alan Neal.

Patrick Garland, owner of Absinthe, joined Alan Neal to speak about the restaurant's fondue party nights on Mondays.

Garland also shared his recipes below for two kinds of fondue.

Cheese fondue

Appetizer for two or generous main course for one.

• 175 ml dry white wine.
• 1 clove garlic smashed.

• 300 g Gruyère Emmental cheese mix.
• 2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in an ounce of water.
• 1 tsp white pepper.
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg.
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt.
• 1 tbsp Kirsch (optional sort of).

1. Bring the wine to a boil with the garlic and flame it.
2. Add the cheese and stir continuously until it is melted and is stringy.
3. Add the cornstarch slurry and stir vigorously. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for a couple of minutes.
4. Place your caquelon (fondue pot) on the réchaud (flame) and serve it up with your favourite garnishes: bread, broccoli, pear, apple, ham,  you name it.

Chocolate fondue

Dessert for 2

• 100 g good quality dark chocolate.
• 25 g 35% cream.
• 1 tbsp framboise liqueur (optional sort of).

1. Put your cream in a pot and bring it to to a simmer.
2. Dump your chocolate in and stir continuously until the chocolate is melted.
3. Add your framboise and stir until it is homogeneous.
4. Transfer the lot to caquelon (fondue pot) and réchaud (flame) and serve with your favourite garnish: strawberries, clementine, bananas, churros, brownies etc.