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- Course: Dessert, Main Course
- Total Time: Under 30 Minutes
- Skill Level: Easy
- Cost: Moderate
- Favorited: 13 Times
Gorgonzola, Port, and Walnut Fondue
Gorgonzola, Port, and Walnut Fondue
Cookbook
Originally I served this fondue as a main course with cubes of roast beef tenderloin and vegetables, where it received rave reviews from blue cheese lovers. Now, as more fine American restaurants are offering cheese as a dessert course, I also serve it as a finale to a meal with glasses of the same port used in the fondue. No matter how you serve it, melted gorgonzola isn’t very pretty—so serve it by candlelight and shrug off its not-so-lovely color.
Yield
: Makes 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup (4 ounces) walnuts
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons minced shallots
- 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons tawny port
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 pound Gorgonzola cheese, trimmed (about 14 ounces)
- 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Directions
1. Position a rack in the top third of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Spread the walnuts out on a baking sheet. Bake, stirring occasionally, until the walnuts are fragrant and lightly toasted, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool completely. Finely chop the walnuts, either in a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade or by hand; set aside.
2. In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the port wine and lemon juice and bring to a bare simmer.
3. In a medium bowl, mash the Gorgonzola cheese with the cornstarch until well combined. In four or five additions, stir the cheese into the saucepan, stirring until the previous addition is melted before adding another. Allow the fondue to come to a bare simmer, but do not boil. Season with the pepper.
4. Transfer the fondue to a ceramic or enameled iron fondue pot and keep warm over a fondue burner. Serve immediately, with dipping ingredients of your choice and small bowls of the chopped walnuts, so guests can dip their fondue-covered food into the walnuts before eating.
© 1998 Rick Rodgers
