That's Just Cheesy

 

When we were DINK's (Dual Income No Kids) Valentine's Day was just another good excuse to go out someplace fancy. Once we had kids that changed. We had lots of years to be "a couple". Now we get to be "a family" and that includes Valentine's Day.

How do you make a romantic day feel special for mia familia? By going old school baby! (Yes, I've been watching a lot of cake boss.) What says old school romantic more than Fondue? That's right nothin'.

When girls were little, and money was even tighter than it is now, Craig used his list to help me find 2 fondue pots. One for Cheese and one for Chocolate. Since we only do this meal 1 time a year, I haven't had many chances to perfect my recipe. The first year was OK, the second year was terrible, third time is a charm though, not. So this year I relied on the 5 star recipe from Food Network's Tyler Florence.

I rarely follow recipes, when I follow recipes exactly, My Vet can tell by how bad it usually tastes. I have an uncanny ability to choose recipes that are missing ingredients, or are just bad from the beginning. So I made sure to read all 92 of the reviews, and said a prayer.

I followed the reviewers advice, and purchased high end ingredients, imported cheese, and recommended dry white wine. I shredded the cheeses, and coated the shreds with corn starch, then gradually added it to the simmering liquid. I found that the cheese didn't melt as smoothly as I would have liked, and helped it with an immersion blender. Just as I was finishing up, My Vet walked in the door.

We all sat down to try it. It was my best effort yet, but next year I will be making something different. My kids dunked a little, but mostly ate the veggies, meat, and bread plain. I thought it tasted too salty. My Vet thought it was to vinegary (Is that even a word?)

The clear winner for the meal was the French Bread that I had picked up at the 'new' Walmart. It was the perfect mix of crusty, soft, and chewy. It reminded me of special occasions as a kid.

I'm thinking that next year I might try mixing something with Havarti, it is one of my favorite cheeses, and it melts really nice. I'll keep you posted. :-)