If, at this moment, you have not yet made reservations for dinner with your most beloved on Valentine’s Day, you may have little to choose from; along with Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day is one of the busiest of the year for restaurants. Rather than settling for the pizza parlour on the corner, why not impress your beloved with a cheese fondue at home? Even if you don’t have a fireplace to curl up in front of, this Swiss classic is one of the coziest and most romantic meals going. After all, its name is derived from the French verb fonder, or “to melt” – which is exactly what her heart will do if you pull this off.

This came to mind one frigid February evening recently, while I was happily swirling my way through a lovely cheese fondue at Biff’s in downtown Toronto. In addition to the traditional cubes of crusty French bread, they also provide steamed new potatoes, carrots, cauliflower and artichoke bottoms. Other ideas for dipping might include diced ham, cornichon, olives, green onions and roasted button mushrooms. And if you are ready to really splurge, take a page from the Italians and shave some fresh black or white truffle into the pot.

The typical European recipe calls for Gruyère and Emmental, but there are plenty of stellar cheeses from Ontario and Quebec that would make fondue the Swiss would be envious of. There are several raclette cheeses being produced artisanally, often using raw milk. These washed rind cheeses are as pungent as they are complex. One, Raclette de Compton, even has peppercorns through it for extra flavour. Cheeses made from Guernsey cattle have lots of milk solids which contribute a creamy texture to your fondue. Niagara Gold has a mild buttery flavour that can offset the pungency of the other cheeses, or try Allegretto, a sheep’s milk cheese from Abitibi, Quebec, with an almost sweet flavour. Blending two or three different cheeses will give you a more sophisticated result.

Serve your fondue with a first class Riesling from Niagara or the Okanagan, and a winter salad of Belgian endive, watercress, pear and walnut vinaigrette.

To finish – chocolate, n’est-ce pas?  Drop by my chocolate and ice cream boutique XOCOCAVA for handmade truffles, chocolate peanut butter cups, European-style drinking chocolate, maple bacon toffee, or cinnamon-caramel “s’mores” to round out the evening. Mention DailyXY and receive 10% off, now through February 14th.

Xococava
1560 Yonge Street, in Delisle Court (north of St. Clair)
416.979.9916
Featuring extended hours until 11:00 p.m., Friday, Feb. 12-Sunday, Feb. 14

Image courtesy of StevenMcleod on flickr