Pesto Cheese Fondue Food

BRIE AND PESTO FONDUE

Steps:

• Place the basil, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and garlic in a blender. With the machine running, add 1/ 4 cup of the wine and process until thick. Set the pesto aside. In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the remaining 3/ 4 cup wine and the vinegar to a bare simmer over medium heat. In a medium bowl, toss the Brie cheese with the cornstarch. A handful at a time, stir the cheese into the saucepan, stirring the first batch until melted before adding another. Allow the fondue to bubble once or twice, but do not boil. Stir in the pesto and season with the pepper. Transfer to a cheese fondue pot and keep warm over a fondue burner. Serve immediately, with dipping ingredients of your choice.;

GRILLED PESTO MARINATED SKIRT STEAK WITH BLUE CHEESE FONDUE

Steps:

• Soak 15 wooden skewers in cold water for 30 minutes. Heat the grill.
• Thread the meat onto skewers, season with salt and pepper, and coat with the pesto. Grill to desired doneness. You can also cook the meat to medium rare then finish it off in the oven just before the party.
• In a small pan over medium-low heat, cook the butter, thyme, and garlic until the garlic is soft, about 2 minutes. Be careful not to let the garlic brown. Add the cream, raise the heat to medium, and bring the cream to a simmer. Cook until the cream is reduced by 1/3. Lower the heat to maintain a slow simmer. Add the cheese and stir until the cheese is melted and the mixture is smooth. Add the pepper and pour into a fondue pot set over low heat.

PESTO CHEESE FONDUE

Steps:

• Place basil leaves, walnuts, Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese, and garlic in a food processor bowl or blender container.
• Cover, and process or blend until paste begins to form, stopping the machine several times to scrape the sides.
• With machine running slowly, gradually add olive oil, and blend or process until consistency of soft butter.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Cover and chill 1/4 cup of the pesto for another use, such as to toss with pasta or spread over garlic toast.
• Bring shredded cheeses to room temperature; toss with the 3 tablespoons flour; set aside.
• Heat wine in a large saucepan over medium heat until small bubbles rise to the surface.
• Just before the wine boils, reduce heat to low and stir in cheese mixture a little at a time, stirring constantly and making sure the cheese melts before adding more.
• Cook and stir until mixture bubbles gently.
• Transfer mixture to fondue pot.
• Spoon 3/4 cup of the pesto in spiral pattern on top of cheese mixture; gently cut through cheese to marble.
• Keep mixture bubbling gently over a fondue burner.
• Serve with bread and vegetables for dipping.
• Makes 2 cups (16 servings).
• Make-Ahead Tip: Prepare basil mixture; cover and chill up to 24 hours.

CLASSIC CHEESE FONDUE

Steps:

• Pour the wine and lemon juice into a heavy-based pan over a medium-low heat and warm until steaming. Add all of the cheese, a handful at a time, whisking between each addition until all the cheese has been added. Continue to stir for 4-5 mins until everything is fully melted, smooth and creamy. Mix the cornflour with the kirsch in a small bowl, then stir this into the cheese mixture. Continue to cook over a low heat for a minute more.
• Rub the garlic on the inside of the fondue pot, if you like, then carefully pour the cheese mixture into the pot and immediately place it over the flame. (If you don't have a fondue set, add the garlic along with the wine in step one, then remove and discard it before you add the kirsch mixture.) Serve immediately with crusty bread, boiled new potatoes, vegetable crudités or cornichons for dunking, if you like. You can place the fondue back over a low heat if you need to reheat it after serving.