COLGR49: Spiked Kirsch reflections

[Michel Ryckx]

Samuel Moyer and others wrote about fondue.

Well, writing this from a country where food and drink are nearly the most important things in the
world:

The fondue principle is quite simple: heating an instance right on your table and putting some
things in it.  The advantage is that you do not have to spend hours in the kitchen and that your
guests are forced to chat for all you have to do is wait till it is ready.  The classic kitchen
knows of three varieties:

1. Meat to be fried in very hot oil (degrees in Celsius are up to 160).  This is done in a specially
designed steel pan.  The disadvantage is that the meat can be burnt very quickly, while the inside
could still be raw; also burnt meat contains dioxines.
2. Little portions of fish in a fumet (which is a fish fond), accompanied by vegetables en
julienne.  This is very light.  The fumet becomes stronger because of the poaching (not boiling: it
destroys the fish) and the last thing you do is to drink the fumet. (this is a classic in Asia and
France: healthy and light).  It is also expensive and requires the making of a fumet (I won't give
the recipe; many of you would be disgusted).

Here, there is talk of the third version:
3. Bread being dripped in hot but not yet boiling cheese.  You need a heavy pan in thick china.  The
trick is you do not make it too hot.  Cheese, any cheese, when boiled, becomes very sticky (that is,
by the way, why you have to add the cheese to a béchamel when the sauce is ready and done).  Another
very important rule (which is not followed by the Tupperware guests) is that you do not add alcohol
to it, nor does one drink alcohol with it.  There's a reaction in your stomach that makes it very
hard for your body to digest the cheese-alcohol combination.  If I would have eaten what mrs. Maas
ate, accompanied by a few glasses of wine, I would have to lie down for a few hours.

As to the kirsch (there are very heavy varieties up till 40 alcohol degrees): it comes from the
Luxembourg Duchy.  And when I think Luxemburg, I think Thurn und Taxis --when it comes to this book;
the usual connection over here is: banks and money.

Has any of you ever read the Asterix in Helvetia comic?  The running gag is cheese fondue.

But my food is a bit more healthy (the drinks, on the other hand, are not).

Kind regards,

Michel.