Taureau

Jamie and I went to Taureau last night for some fondue. I had been once before and the damp weather had me craving warm gooey cheese. This is the sister restaurant of my fave La Sirene and is also BYOB. We grabbed a Cotes du Rhone and ordered up the prix fix (for $37 per person, you get a cheese fondue, a meat fondue, and a chocolate fondue). We ordered the Pyrenees cheese fondue which was a mix of Swiss cheese with garlic and white wine and nutmeg. It was amazing. As you can see, we devoured it. The garlic flavor got stronger as we got towards the bottom. Yum! So decadent. It comes with a little salad and some torn up bread pieces. You can also opt for additional sides like veggies or charcuterie. We got some asparagus which was super tasty.

The cheese fondue when we finished it

Jamie not wanting his picture taken while eating the hanger steak

cheese fondue

I made meat fondue for Valentine's Day, but this weekend I made cheese fondue. It was pretty easy and delicious! You can't go wrong with a pot of melted cheese. I had sour dough bread, red bell pepper, and apples to dip. The cheese sauce smelled amazing and tasted even better, and it's always fun to have an interactive dinner. I used a blend of Gruyere and Appenzeller - it had a great, sharp flavor, accented really well by the wine.

Ingredients:
Half a pound of Gruyere, grated
Half a pound of Appenzeller, grated
1 garlic clove, but in half
1 1/2 cups white wine + 1 tsp
1 tbsp cornstarch

For dipping
Sour dough bread, Granny Smith apple, red bell pepper, all cut into bite-sized pieces.

Directions:
Rub the garlic all over the inside of a sauce pan. Add the wine and simmer. Slowly add the cheese and stir in a zig zag motion while it melts. In a small bowl, mix corn starch, 1 tsp wine, and 1 tsp water and add to cheese. Continue to stir and simmer until it thickens, about 5 minutes. Add to fondue pot and light the sterno and start dipping!

A little prize for finish the pot - the cheese forms a yummy crust at the bottom.

Fondue for two

I wanted to do something special for Valentine's Day and make something we've never had. I got my mom's old fondue pot and we had a cute little fondue dinner. I opted for meat fondue, or fondue bourgignonne. I made four sauces - chimichurri, horseradish, mustard, and mango chutney (this I bought).



To make chimichurri, chop up garlic, cilantro, and parsley, add olive oil, chili powder, cayenne, salt and pepper and a little red wine vinegar. For the horseradish and mustard sauces, start with mayonnaise and sour cream and add the horseradish/mustard (half dijon, half grain) and season w salt and pepper. I also added a little vinegar to the horseradish and some dried tarragon to the mustard.
For the meat, I chopped up filet and pork tenderloin into little cubes and tossed them w olive oil, salt and pepper.
Heat oil (I used half veggie half olive) over the stove w a garlic clove and a bay leaf. Once it bubbles, light the sterno and pour the oil into the fondue pot. Then just cook the meat for 30 seconds or so, less for filet, and enjoy w the sauces!
It was fun and delicious and interactive. Will definitely have a fondue party in the near future.
And of course, a sweet dessert for Jamie!



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