I wish I could get a ripe cantalope.

Enjoy!

For a snack later, diced up garden fresh cantaloupe.

Good Evening

I'm flying solo tonight and haven't had a cheese fondue in a long time. Tonight's the night! Here's the plan:

2 small garlic cloves, lightly crushed

Grated Gruyère cheese
Grated Swiss Emmentaler cheese
The cheese ratio should be about 2:1

1 teaspoon cornstarch

Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste

1 cup of dry French white wine
Shot glass of kirsch
Teaspoon of lemon juice

Rub the garlic all over the inside of a medium-sized pot. Some folks toss out the garlic but I leave it in the pot.

Put the grated cheese in the pot along with the wine, cornstarch, and lemon juice. Heat moderately stirring until the cheeses melt, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the kirsch, pepper and nutmeg and continue to cook, stirring until creamy and smooth, about 10 minutes.

Serve with fresh cubes of French bread, roasted baby red potatoes, cornichons and apple slices. At the end, the layer of baked cheese at the bottom of pot is the religieuse, a special treat for the everyone at the end of the meal.

(Last fondue I had was in Chamonix! Husband wanted to ski, so I wandered around, and we dined in Chamonix. I 'discovered Aosta, while he skiied.)

I put a bit too much wine in the pot so the cheese mixture was a bit thin but it was still tasty!

Hope you're having a good summer, elleng!

Last edited Thu Aug 14, 2025, 09:47 PM - Edit history (2)

Gotta see if there's any Fondue place near here.

FOUND: Stable DC, located on H Street NE in Washington, DC, is known for its cheese fondue and fresh-baked bread.

Quiet summer here, weather's been rather moderate.

Meal, all except for the fondue pot.

Fun option for a solo.

Oops, no kirsch, though.

(and gruyere, swiss, kirsch, and BREAD!!!!)

Steam-fried in evoo and veggie broth: chopped onions, scallions, green bell pepper, cauliflower florets, sliced mushrooms and minced garlic. When done I added a slurry made from Patak’s curry paste and veggie broth. While the veggies were cooking I air-fried Russet potato cubes and added them to the vegetables. Finally I added chickpeas and steamed peas and gave it all a good stir. Mmmmm smells great! Cheers!🥂

I had to use up my too many ripe tomatoes and clean out the freezer. 2 lbs of roasted hatch chilis in the freezer and voila my tomato surplus is gone!

It's hot and sticky, even with the AC.

I don't feel like really cooking.

And hey! Enough water pressure to finally wash my dishes. (Remember the water main break?)

And they were perfect.

Breakfast for Dinner!

(I have blueberry muffins for breakfast.)

To civilization is now complete. 😺

"Tuscan Herb" marinated pork tenderloin, homemade potato salad, and roasted eggplant from the garden.