Designer Apple Pie

Over the holidays, I purchased several new cookbooks, including Flour by Joanne Chang.  The first recipe I was inspired to try was the one for homemade Pop Tarts.  They turned out well, but they were better eaten than seen... I simply don't have the counter space necessary to roll out pastry dough as large as what is called for in that recipe.



In any case, I only used half the amount of pâte brisée required, because I decided (rightly) that I didn't need to eat eight "Pop Tarts."  What was I going to do with the extra pie dough?  Oh to have such "problems"!

I decided to make a pie that I've had my eye on ever since I saw the recipe for it, oh so long ago: Rose Levy Berenbaum's Designer Apple Pie.  I'd always been too intimidated to try it before now, but it turns out that I needn't have feared -- it was actually extremely easy!  Granted, I didn't make the leaf border (I don't have a leaf cutter, and also not enough pie dough), but the most beautiful part of this pie, to me, is the arrangement of the apples.  The leaf border does make it look extra nice, but I think it turned out well  without it anyway.



I think one of the keys to making the apples look nice is to slice them very thin.  This takes no time at all with a mandoline -- I used a handheld OXO one that cost less than $10.  When arranging the slices in the pie, alternate how the apples overlap from ring to ring (go clockwise for one ring, then counterclockwise the next, then clockwise, etc.) -- RLB's recipe doesn't say to do this, but that's what I did and I think it added something, visually.   The apricot preserves at the end are VERY important to give the apples color and shine.  When you take the pie out of the oven, even though it's done, the apples look pale and almost like they haven't been cooked.  The preserves really add a lot.  Finally, though the recipe calls for about 6 apples, I only used 3 1/2 medium-sized ones (Granny Smiths and Pink Ladys).  Unfortunately you won't really know how many you need until after they've been macerated, which means if you find out you need more when you're layering, you have to go through a number of steps to get additional apple slices ready.  So it might be better to err on the side of caution.  Despite using fewer apples, I still got the required amount of juice out of them, either by being lucky, or because I let them sit for an hour plus.



As for the pâte brisée, I'm a big fan.  It was easy to put together, buttery, flaky, and delicious.  Like all pastry dough, however, the trick is that you need to keep it very, very cold for the best results.

Designer Apple Pie (recipe adapted from Rose Levy Berenbaum's The Pie and Pastry Bible)

Ingredients:

• 1 9-in pie crust dough (RLB's cream cheese pie crust is phenomenal, or try Joanne Chang's pâte brisée, recipe below)
• 2 1/2 lbs apples (about 6), peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup apricot preserves

Method

1. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. If necessary, allow it to sit for 10 minutes or until it is soft enough to roll. On a floured pastry cloth or between 2 sheets of lightly floured plastic wrap, roll pastry to 1/8-in thick or less (about a 12-in circle).
2. Transfer it to the pie plate. Tuck overhanging crust under, to create an edge. Cover the pastry lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for minimum of 1 hour and maximum of 24 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 425°F at least 20 minutes before baking. Line the pastry with parchment, pleating it as necessary so it fits into the pan, and fill it with pie weights such as dried beans or peas. Bake for 20 minutes. Carefully lift out the parchment and pie weights. With a fork, prick the bottom and sides and bake 5-10 minutes more, until the crust is a pale golden color. Check after 3 minutes and prick any bubbles that may have formed. Cool the crust on a rack for 3 minutes, so it is no longer piping hot, then brush the bottom and sides with the egg white.
4. In a large bowl, combine the apples, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and salt.  Toss to mix. Allow the apples to macerate for a minimum of 30 minutes and a maximum of 3 hours at room temperature.
5. Drain the liquid from the apples; you want to retain this. There should be at least 1/2 cup of liquid. Boil down this liquid with the butter until syrupy and lightly caramelized. Swirl the liquid but do not stir it.
6. Meanwhile, transfer the apples to a bowl and toss with the cornstarch until all traces of it have disappeared.
7. Pour the hot syrup over the apples, tossing gently. (If liquid hardens on contact with apples, allow them to sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes or until moisture from apples dissolves it.)
8. Arrange the apples, overlapping the slices in concentric circles in the pie shell, starting from the outside edge. Keep adding more apples, using the tip of a knife to insert them in between the other slices, until you have used all of them. Pour any remaining apple juices evenly over the apples.
9. Brush the baked pie crust rim with egg. Cover the pie loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 30 minutes before baking to chill the pastry. (This will help maintain flakiness.)
10. Preheat the oven to 425°F at least 20 minutes before baking. Set an oven rack at the lowest level and place a baking stone or baking sheet on it before preheating. Place large piece of greased foil on top to catch any juices.
11. Cut a round of foil to fit over the pie and crimp it in 3 or 4 places to create a dome. Cover the pie with the foil and cut 3 steam vents in the foil, about 3 inches long.
12. Set the pie directly on top of the foil-topped baking sheet and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the juices bubble and the apples feel tender but not mushy when pierced with a small sharp knife.
13. Remove the foil and bake for 5-10 minutes more, or until the top of apples is golden brown. If at this point the apples still haven't browned a bit, move the oven rack higher and bake another 5 minutes or so.
14. Heat the apricot preserves until hot and bubbly.  For a "cleaner" look, strain it through a sieve.  Brush the glaze over the apples (and the crust edge, if you like). Cool the pie on a wire rack.

Pâte Brisée (recipe adapted from Flour, by Joanne Chang)

Makes enough for one 9-inch double-crust pie

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces
• 2 egg yolks
• 3 tbsp cold milk

Method

1. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a handheld mixer), mix together the flour, sugar, and salt for 10 to 15 seconds, or until combined. Scatter the butter over the top. Mix on low speed for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, or just until the flour is no longer bright white and holds together when you press a bit between your fingers.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and milk until blended. Add to the flour mixture all at once. Mix on low speed for about 30 seconds, or until the dough just barely comes together. It will look really shaggy and more like a mess than a dough.
3. Dump the dough out onto an unfloured work surface, then gather it into a mound. Using your palm and starting on one side of the mound, smear the dough bit by bit, starting at the top then sliding your palm down the side and along the work surface, until most of the butter chunks are smeared into the dough and the dough comes together. Do this once or twice on each part of the dough, moving through the mound until the whole mess has been smeared into a cohesive dough with streaks of butter.
4. Gather up the dough with a pastry cutter, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and press down to flatten into a disk about 1-inch thick. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before using. The dough will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Butter ... the Popovers and Apple Kind

This repast is reminiscent of a late-night snack Trix and I had in New York. The Popover Cafe, located on the Upper East Side, was recommended to us, but unfortunately it was a big letdown. We don't know if they were having an off night or if the person who recommended it truly liked their extremely dry, almost burnt popovers. The only reason they were edible at all was because of the apple butter they were served with. (Ironically, the food we saw other people having that were not popovers, actually looked very good, even though the person recommending the restaurant specifically said that the rest of the food wasn't good; it was only the popovers that were worth eating. Given our short time in New York, however, we didn't waste a meal finding out if the regular entrees really were any good, or if they only looked good in comparison to the cardboard we were eating.)



Happily, homemade popovers and apple butter are actually very simple to make -- and are worlds better than what we had at the Popover Cafe.

These homemade popovers are made from Wondra flour, which I've never thought to bake with. It comes in a cardboard cannister, and advertises itself as ideally used to make gravies and sauces, because it's a special kind of flour that doesn't clump in liquid. That is, in fact, why I had it, because I'm fairly new to making gravy, and needed all the help I could get. The recipe is from Rose Levy Beranbaum. She describes Wondra as "a granular form of flour developed by General Mills. It dissolves instantly in liquid because it has been subjected to a process called agglomeration. It is produced essentially by misting flour with water and then spray-drying it with compressed air, which separates the flour into particles of even size and shape that will not clump when mixed with liquid." Therefore you need not worry that there is any leavening done by chemicals -- there isn't. If you don't have or want to use Wondra, that's fine, but in that case the dough will need a 2-hour or so rest before baking (whereas with Wondra, the popovers can go into the oven immediately after mixing).



The perfect popover, in my mind, is crispy on the outside and hollow and satiny on the inside. It's drier than regular bread and other pastries, but not dry. Its hollow insides are perfect for filling with melting butter and sweet preserves.



Perserves such as apple butter. I've never understood the name -- why butter? We don't call it strawberry butter or grape butter, so why is apple different? There isn't any dairy in apple butter -- just fruit, sugar, and spices. Well, no matter. It's delicious no matter what it's called.

And there are few things in life that go more perfectly together than warm popovers and apple butter. Perfect for breakfast and tea time!

Butter Popovers

Makes 6 regular-sized popovers or 12 mini-popovers

Recipe by Rose Levy Beranbaum (from her book, The Bread Bible)

Ingredients

• 1 cup plus 3 tbsp Wondra flour
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp granulated sugar
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 large eggs
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled but still liquid, divided

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. If you're using a dark pan (such as the nonstick one I use), preheat to 400°F instead. Set a rack on the second level from the bottom of the oven.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar. Slowly add the milk, whisking steadily. Using handheld beaters or continuing with the whisk, add the eggs one at a time, beating for about 1 minute after each addition, until the batter is smooth. Beat in 2 tbsps of the butter, which may clump a bit -- that's okay. (If you don’t plan to use the batter immediately, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Beat it lightly with a whisk before using.) To make things go faster and easier, pour the batter into a pitcher with a pouring spout -- my 2-cup measuring cup worked perfectly.
3. If you're using a 6-well popover pan, spoon 1 tsp of the remaining butter into each well. If you're using a 12-well muffin/cupcake pan, spoon 1/2 tsp of butter into each well.
4. Use a pastry brush to thoroughly coat the inside of each well with the butter.
5. 3-5 minutes before baking, line the oven rack with aluminum foil. Place the popover/muffin pan on top of the foil. Warm the butter until it begins to brown, but do not allow it to burn.
6. Remove the pan from the oven, and fill each well about halfway. Bake for 15 minutes.
7. Lower the temperature to 350°F and continue baking for 40-45 minutes for standard popovers or 20-25 minutes for muffin-size ones. The popovers should have puffed to about 3 times their original size.
8. 5-10 minutes before the end of the baking time, make a small slit in the side of each popover to release steam and dry the insides a bit. Don't open the oven until this point, or you risk deflating the popovers.
9. When the popovers are done, remove the pan from the oven. With a pot holder, gently lift them from the pan one at a time and place on a wire rack to cool a little. Serve while warm, with butter, apple butter, or your favorite jam.

Apple Butter

Makes enough to just about fill a regular-sized jar of peanut butter.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 lbs apples (such as Fuji or Jonagold -- if you use a tarter apple such as Granny Smith, you might want to use more sugar)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cloves (optional)

Method

1. Preheat a slow cooker by setting it on High.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, salt, and spices.
3. Peel and core the apples. Chop into 1-inch pieces. Do this as quickly as possible, so that the apples don't oxidize too much. Drop the pieces into the sugar mixture as you go.
4. Mix the apples in the sugar mixture until well coated, then transfer it all into the preheated slow cooker. Put the lid on.
5. Cook on high for 1 hour. The apples will have released plenty of liquid. Give them a good stir.
6. Turn the heat to Low and cook for another 9-10 hours. In that time the apples will soften even further and turn to a mahogany brown.
7. Remove the lid and let it cook for another hour. Using a whisk, stir the mixture to break up the pieces of apple. Hopefully much of the liquid will have evaporated. That wasn't the case for me, so I transferred it to a small pot, set it to simmer, and let it bubble away uncovered for another hour. If you do this as well, make sure it doesn't burn. (You don't want the butter to have too much water/liquid -- it should really have a jam-like consistency.)
8. To finish, transfer the mixture to a food processor and process until smooth. This step isn't necessary if you like chunky preserves, but I like the texture best when it's smooth and uniform.
9. Store in an air-tight container. Lasts about 3 months.

Apple Tart Cake

I've been intrigued by both of the latest recipes on Orangette, the cream of scallop soup and the apple tart cake. Of the two I thought I would be making the soup first, as I love scallops, I love soup, and I love the idea of combining the two. However, the method and the ingredients for that one were definitely more challenging than the tart cake, which only required that I buy a few apples as I had everything else.



First I have to say something about the name. There really is no better way to describe this, as it's neither a tart nor a cake, but has properties of both. Second, I'm not usually a fan of too much filling. Think of an apple pie ... toward the end of the slice I'm usually picking out some of the apples and concentrating on the crust and syrup/topping, which are the parts I like best. Also, I've made an apple cake before, and it also turned out too appley (and soggy from all the juice from the apples). So when making this cake I thought 3 apples were far too many (even despite the warning that it would seem that way), and that I would probably end up picking some off the top. Not so! It actually ended up being just right, so I'm pleased that I went ahead and used all 3 apples.



The one change I would make the next time is that more and more I'm preferring my desserts to be less sweet, so I'd change this to 3/4, maybe even 1/2, a cup of sugar. Too much sugar "numbs the palate" as Judy Rodgers says in The Zuni Cafe Cookbook, and isn't good for you besides. I'd maybe also add a pinch of salt to the crust/cake. Now whenever I have a slice, I just sprinkle some salt on top, which gives it a nice depth of flavor.



Apple Tart Cake

As posted on Orangette

Ingredients

For the base:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 5 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into a few pieces
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 3 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced very thinly

For the topping:

• 3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 large egg

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan.
2. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade attachment, combine the sugar, flour, and baking powder. Pulse to mix. Add the butter, and pulse until no large lumps remain. Add the vanilla and the egg, and blend well, until it resembles cornmeal.
3. Dump it into the prepared springform pan. Nudge it around with your fingertips to distribute it evenly, and then gently press it along the bottom of the pan. You’re not trying to really tamp it down; you just want to compact it a little. At the edges, let it curve up ever so slightly, like a tart shell with a very low, subtle rim.
4. Arrange the apple slices over the base in a tight circular pattern. It may seem as though you have too many apple slices to fit, but keep going. Really squeeze them in.
5. Slide the pan into the oven, and bake for 45 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, make the topping. Combine the ingredients in a small bowl, and whisk to blend well.
7. After the cake has baked for 45 minutes, remove it from the oven, and spoon the topping evenly over it.
8. Bake for another 25 minutes or so, until the topping looks set.
9. Transfer the pan to a wire rack, and cool for 20 minutes. Then run a thin knife around the edge to release any areas that may have stuck, and remove the sides of the pan. Cool completely before serving.

Orangette's Note: This cake is even better on the second day. So if you can, make it a day ahead: just wrap it in plastic wrap and leave it at room temperature until you’re ready to eat it. We ate ours plain, but I think it would be great with vanilla ice cream.

Yield: about 8 servings

Saturday Dinner: Broth-Boiled Kale with Fried Egg on Toast, Apple-Pear Tart

Tonight's dinner was inspired by Orangette, who recently blogged about boiled kale and an apple tart. The boiled kale recipe was actually adapted from The Zuni Café Cookbook, which I probably need to get at some point soon.

In any case, Jade and I were going to make a similar dinner, then sit down and watch the first episode of Gossip Girl S1 together. We plan to do this every Saturday. Except we won't watch the first episode very time, obviously, but continue in the series. She will be at her house and I will be at mine, 1,100 miles apart. Ah, the wonders of technology. The challenge we've imposed on ourselves is that Jade is currently on a restricted diet, due to recovering from surgery, and has to have low-fat meals. So we try to choose meals that are low in fat, or at the very least, easily made into a low-fat version.

Tonight she made a version of the dish that required less oil, and I pretty much stuck to the letter -- but even so, it's a pretty light, healthy meal.

I wasn't actually going to make the tart, except I realized that I had a frozen puff pastry sheet in the freezer that I've been meaning to use, as well as an apple and a pear that needed to be eaten. And since it sounded simple enough to make (made even simpler by the fact that I didn't make the pastry part myself), I decided to go for it.

First I went to the store and bought some chicken and celery for the stock (I had the other ingredients on hand), as well as the kale and some chard for another night. I threw all the stock ingredients into a large pot and let that simmer away for a few hours. In the meantime I prepared the vegetables and made the tart.


Here it is right out of the oven, pre-glaze.

When it came time to prepare the kale, I first sauteed some onions:



Then added the kale, garlic, and pepper flakes:



Finally, I added chicken broth (not pictured). While that was boiling merrily away I finished up the glaze for the tart and cut a generous slice of my sourdough rye to pop in the toaster. When that was golden brown, I rubbed a clove of garlic on both sides (it actually 'grates' it like cheese, even though you can't see the garlic on the toast!):



The instructions called for a "wide soup bowl" and what I used was clearly too big -- I'd say that a saucer or any dish that has uplifted sides would work just as well as a bowl, because it's not actually soup -- you just don't want moisture trickling off a regular plate.

When the kale was nearly ready I fried an egg -- unfortunately a little too well done, but I have plenty of leftovers so I can make sure it's runny perfection next time -- and assembled the whole thing together.



Now, this recipe had obviously sounded good to me or I wouldn't have gone through the trouble of preparing it. But I wasn't sure if it was going to be one of those things that sounded good in theory yet fell flat in practice. So plain and unpretenious -- it was either going to be blah or amazingly good. It was, I am happy to report, amazingly good. It might look homey and plain like peasant food, but it's fit for a king (or queen)!

Apparently you don't have to go through the trouble of using stock at all and can use plain water to boil the kale, but I would strongly advise against this. It's the kale that makes this dish interesting -- otherwise what you have is a fried egg on toast -- and the broth makes the kale rich and flavorful, and livens up the entire dish. Use pre-made broth if you must (if time constraints are an issue, it's definitely a decent alternative, though store-bought stock never tastes the same as the homemade kind), but use broth, not water.



The bread soaks up the broth and provides a hearty contrast to the soft leaves and egg. I opted not to drizzle with olive oil and cheese -- I don't think they would have added that much except a lot of extra calories. :-)



I finished with a slice of apple-pear tart, which was surprisingly good. Light but flavorful, just like the entree that had come before. Though I definitely could have had seconds of everything (happily), I was full without feeling like I was going to burst (as happens all too often with me!), and decided not to put the "too much of a good thing" theory to test.

Broth-Boiled Kale with Fried Egg on Toast (adapted from Orangette)

Ingredients

For the dish (serves 2)

• 8oz kale, washed, de-stemmed, and sliced into 1/4" ribbons
• 3-4 cups chicken stock (homemade or store bought)
• 2 thick slices of toasted bread
• 2 eggs
• 2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, halved
• 1 onion, diced
• a pinch of red pepper flakes
• salt to taste
• olive oil to stir fry (about 3 tbsp)

For the stock

• 2lb chicken parts (I used leg quarters)
• 2 quarts of water
• 1 carrot, quartered
• 1 celery rib, quartered
• 1/2 onion, cut in two
• salt to taste

Note: I doubled this because it's cheaper to buy chicken in bulk -- as a whole fryer, for instance -- and chicken stock is always welcome! But it does make a lot of stock.

Method:

For the stock

1. If you're making the stock, throw everything together in a large stockpot and bring to a slow boil. Simmer for at least 45 minutes. I like to eke out every last bit of chicken essence, so if I have the time I will usually let this go for about 3 hours. Salt to taste.
2. Remove the large solids as best as you can. Unless you used only chicken bones, save the meat for later use (like sandwiches or chicken enchiladas -- half of mine will be mixed with dry dog food for Talis).
3. Transfer the stock to another stockpot or large bowl using a strainer. The trick I like to use here is to line the strainer with cheesecloth so that all those little bits stay out of the final broth, and I don't have to strain twice. Now it's ready!

For the final dish

1. Heat up olive oil in a large saucepan (I used my wok).
2. Saute the onion until tender and nearly translucent.
3. Add kale, sliced garlic, and red pepper flakes. Saute until the kale is completely wilted.
4. Pour chicken stock into the kale until it's covered by about 1/2" of broth. Simmer for about 30 minutes, until the kale is tender. Salt to taste.
5. When the kale is nearly done, toast the bread and fry over easy eggs.
6. Place one slice of toast into each dish. Top with a generous portion of kale, without being too fussy about wringing the broth out (but don't let it get soupy either). Place the egg on top and serve.

Apple-Pear Tart, the super easy version (for pastry dough recipe, see Orangette -- also creates a larger tart)

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
• 1 large apple, peeled and cored (save the discard) -- thinly sliced
• 1 large, firm pear, peeled and cored (save the discard) -- thinly sliced
• 1 apple core
• 1 pear core
• 1/4 cup + 3 tsp sugar, divided
• 1/4 cup water

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and place the puff pastry on it.
2. Lay slices of fruit on the puff pastry, overlapping each other. You should have 3 rows.
3. Sprinkle 3 tsp sugar over the fruit, 1 tsp per row. Use more if you run out, or like it sweeter.
4. Bake for 35 minutes, or until the pastry and fruit are golden and just beginning to turn brown. Let cool right on the pan.
5. While the tart is baking, put 1/4 cup sugar, water, and cores/peels into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and let it simmer until it's reduced to a thick syrup. Remove from heat and strain out solids. If you're not serving right away, you can heat it up again later.
6. Slice the tart into thirds -- a pizza cutter works well. Then slice each third in half, so you have 6 portions.
7. When ready to serve, place a tart slice onto a plate, then drizzle with warm syrup.

You could obviously do this with just apples or just pears; I used what I had on hand. The puff pastry doesn't absolutely need to be fully thawed. It's usually folded into thirds, and since you'll be cutting it into thirds anyway, if you unfold it while it's slightly frozen it will probably break at the seam, which would be fine. If you're not paying attention when making the glaze and it's suddenly been boiled down to nothing (this might have happened to me), just add more water and keep boiling it.

Classic Cheese Fondue

Yesterday a LiveJournal friend asked for ideas about what to do with apples. I suggested cheese fondue, because when Jade and I were in NY not too long ago we went to Artisinal and got cheese fondue, and our server recommended apples for dipping. We were both rather skeptical (maybe because our last experience with dipping fruit with cheese was on our Oregon trip when Amdoch was dipping fruit and cookies on a dare into the pot of Velveeta Rotel that Krim had made), but we were pleasantly surprised by how yummy it was.

So I've been thinking about delicious, gooey cheese fondue, and how easy it is to make. Artisinal is known for its fondue, but what we had tasted exactly like what I myself have made a number of times from a recipe I got at the NY Times. If you have the desire for fondue, make it! You don't even need a fondue pot as long as you have a container that retains heat well, such as a cast-iron skillet. You can get one for like $10-20 new (depending on size), or perhaps even better, find one at a yard sale, sold by someone who doesn't appreciate the years of food memories that have gone into seasoning the skillet. And once you have it, it's good for sooooo much more (traditional Southern cornbread, for instance!).

Many people might say that you can't really have cheese fondue if you don't have a fondue pot, because one of the keys to fondue is keeping the cheese hot and runny to make dipping easy. But you don't need a fondue pot as long as the cheese has a constant heat source -- which you can get from a cast-iron skillet or a small Dutch oven. Since those retain heat very well (and distributes it evenly), the cheese will likely be gobbled up before the heat wears off and the cheese starts to congeal. And even if that happens, it's an easy matter to put the skillet/oven back on the stove, stirring until the cheese is back to a liquid consistency.

Another note is that you want the wine you use to be good. Not good as in expensive, but good as in good. I'm no wine connoisseur, but even I was able to taste the difference when using 'bad' wine in this recipe. Good wine for drinking and good wine for cooking are different things -- so you don't need to get an expensive bottle of wine. I recommend Charles Shaw, which you can get at Trader Joe's. It is a run off of Napa Valley so it is still good, but it is very inexpensive. Depending on where you live, it may cost up to $4/bottle. It's $2.99/bottle where I live, and in California it's $1.99/bottle. And you won't even use the whole bottle in this recipe, so really, it's perfect imo.

Originally posted at The New York Times

Ingredients

• 1 small garlic clove, halved


• 1 cup dry white wine (such as Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc)


• 3/4 pound Gruyère cheese, grated


• 3/4 pound Emmenthaler, raclette or Appenzeller cheese, grated


• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch


• 1 to 2 tablespoons kirsch (optional)


• Kosher salt, to taste


• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste


• Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste (optional)


• Crusty bread cubes; steamed broccoli or cauliflower; carrot, celery or fennel sticks; cubed apple; seedless grapes; clementine sections; cubed salami, soppressata or kielbasa; roasted chestnuts and/or dried apricots, for serving.

Method

1. Rub cut side of garlic on inside of large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed saucepan, preferably cast iron, rubbing the bottom and halfway up the sides. Add wine and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss cheeses with cornstarch. Add a handful at a time to simmering wine, stirring until first handful melts before adding next. Reduce heat to medium and stir constantly until cheese is completely melted. Add kirsch, if using, and heat until bubbling, about 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, if desired. Serve with crusty bread and other accompaniments.

Yield: 6 main course servings or 10 appetizer servings.

If you don't have kirsch, don't worry about it. I personally don't think it adds that much, just a hint of sweetness. Also I love garlic, so after step #1 I sometimes will mince the halves and throw them into the melted cheese for extra garlicky flavor.