​Valentine’s Day: Make it special

With the special day for romance just a few days away, are you stressing about what to do for that special person in your life? Can’t afford a diamond? Flowers always work but are so predictable. An expensive dinner at a restaurant? Well that’s just a waste of money and frankly not romantic at all. Anybody can make a reservation.

So do something really special for your lover, something intimate, make dinner yourself.

That probably struck a bolt of fear in your romantic heart. But fear not, as there is a way to have a delicious, fun dinner, score huge points and have a romantic evening for those that are not too savvy in the kitchen. Quite simple really, have a fondue. Sharing, isn’t that what love is all about?

Fondue or hot pots are the ultimate sharing dinner, much like Korean barbecue but I don’t recommend firing up the Hibachi on the dining room table. The other beautiful thing about a fondue is that you can do all the preparation ahead of time, so you are not banging around in the kitchen. You can spend more time gazing into the eyes of your lover with cheesy goo dripping off your chin.

And with a fondue or hot pot you have options, lots of options. Traditional fondue originated in Switzerland, was quickly adopted by both France and Italy back in the 1600s and was first introduced to America at the New York World Fair in 1964. It became popular among the beatnik and intellectual hipster crowd of the sixties. Yes there were hipsters back then better known as hippies. I should know -- I was one and I ate my share of fondue.

What could be better than melting cheese into a creamy molten sauce splashed with wine and a shot of kirsch that you dip pieces of torn bread into? That is the norm as traditional fondue goes, but as previously mentioned there are options.

Everyone loves cheese, especially in this part of the country, and there are a couple of good shops in town where you can acquire a good gruyere, fontina or Comte cheese. Cheese fondue is a little tricky as the cheese needs to melt without burning and it needs to maintain a temperature suitable for dipping. Hence the need for a fondue pot which comes with dipping forks and a safe heat source. A basic cheese fondue can be modified by adding a variety of different ingredients; peppers, mushrooms, crumbled cooked sausage and numerous spices or herbs.

But cheese is heavy and it might result in a couch coma instead of a romantic evening if you get my drift. The Swiss also came up with fondue bourguignonne, sliced meats and vegetables dipped into hot oil and cooked and served with a variety of dipping sauces. Eons ago I worked in a fine dining restaurant and we offered this type of fondue and I can tell you it was nerve racking for the servers to carry of pot of boiling hot oil through the dining room to the table. As tasty as it can be, let’s pass on this idea -- way too stressful.

And that brings us to the broth concept or as the French call it fondue chinoise, or hot pot, a Chinese mainstay. The hot pot, or shabu-shabu as it is also known, opens the door to so many options. It can be tailored to the taste of carnivores, vegetarians and vegans, so everyone is welcome to the table. A good hot pot starts with a well-seasoned broth, beef, chicken or vegetable and you dip very thinly sliced meats, vegetables, noodles, dumplings or any stuffed pasta in the hot broth to cook them. When all the cooking is done, the broth is sipped and drunk.

Sunday is Valentine’s Day, so you have Saturday to shop and make your cheese fondue or broth, slice all your vegetables and meats. Come Sunday all you have to do is warm your cheese or broth, set the table, chill the champagne, dim the lights and have a sexy dinner without awkward interruptions from a waiter and a chilly drive home. I am not down on restaurants but there is nothing intimate about a crowded restaurant where the tables are way too close together.

One other thing. I think everyone would agree that chocolate is sexy. So the fitting end to your fondue dinner whether cheese or broth is a silky smooth chocolate fondue with some lush ripe strawberries and pound cake for dipping. Who doesn’t like chocolate? So pop the champagne, sit back and relax into a hassle free dinner, you rock star.

Basic cheese fondue:

1 clove whole garlic for rubbing the pot

2 cups dry white wine

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 teaspoons kirsch

½ pound grated fontina

½ pound grated gruyere

Rub a pot with the garlic clove and discard garlic. Warm wine in pot, mix cornstarch and kirsch into a paste and add to wine. Slowly stir in cheeses using a zig zag motion, do not stir until cheese is melted. When melted transfer to your fondue pot.

Broth:1 quart beef, chicken or vegetable broth

6 cloves of whole garlic

12 dried red chilis

3 bay leaves

Simmer stock with other ingredients, strain and transfer to fondue pot or electric wok.

Chocolate fondue:

2 cups heavy cream

1 pound semi-sweet chocolate (Callebaut)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon brandy

Use good quality ingredients. Heat a few inches of water in a saucepan. Place cream in a bowl and set over the water until warm. Chop chocolate into small pieces and add to chocolate to cream. Stir until smooth, add vanilla and brandy. Transfer to fondue pot.