Served on Monday, 16 December 2024 at Chez Kim-Martin
Le Menu
Entrée
Oysters and sauce mignonette
Plat
Celery Salad with tart cherries and toasted pecans in a zippy vinaigrette
Served with bread, roasted potatoes, sausage, cornichons, and mustard
Dessert
Trou Normand
Homemade apple sorbet topped with a splash of Calvados
Wine
White Bourgogne Aligoté
Romaine and I decided to make fondue on a cold, snowy December evening when our friend Joe would arrive from NYC. The day of, Romaine grabbed some oysters and last-minute groceries before picking up Joe from the train station, and I began my mise en place, washing and chopping the vegetables for the meal. I popped the mushrooms, potatoes, and sausage in the oven. Then, I made a bright, zippy salad with celery I wanted to use up from the fridge and tossed the celery with chopped dried tart cherries, freshly toasted pecans, herbs, and a bright vinaigrette. I grated Emmental and Gruyere cheese in the food processor and cleaned up. Romaine pulled out the ice cream maker to make apple sorbet with local Vermont apples. We’d later top the sorbet with a splash of Calvados to make a Tru Normande for dessert, though usually, it’s a palate cleanser served between courses thought to aid digestion.
Joe set the table, and Gaston pattered around, sniffing excitedly. I melted the cheese gradually on my stove in my bright orange aluminum pot and brought the melted cheese to the table. I lit the Sterno, and the blue flame gently appeared, contrasting beautifully with the orange pot. I speared a piece of potato and dropped it into the pot, swirling it around to mix the cheese. I lifted my fondue fork, twirled the cheese around the potato to avoid drippage, and lifted the exquisite bite to my lips. I sat silent momentarily, appreciating and reveling in the cheese and wine. I eventually returned to the table and joined the conversation again, the three of us joyfully dipping into the communal pot while the fire in our wood stove crackled merrily.
You can read more about my adventures in learning how to make fondue at home in my recent letter here. The recipe for the celery salad is here, and the fondue Neuchâtel is here and linked in the menu above.
