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Strawberries dipped in chocolate fondue at Mona Lisa Fondue in Manitou Springs.
Chocolate and Old World Swiss cheese fondue at Mona Lisa Fondue in Manitou Springs.
A classic Swiss cheese fondue in a white wine base at Mona Lisa Fondue in Manitou. “The key to luscious fondue is choosing cheeses that aren’t too oily,” says Janon Bourgeois, chef instructor at The French Kitchen.
Strawberries dipped in chocolate fondue at Mona Lisa Fondue in Manitou Springs. (Chancey Bush/ The Gazette)
Strawberries dipped in chocolate at Mona Lisa Fondue.
Old World, a classic Swiss cheese fondue in a white wine base, at Mona Lisa Fondue in Manitou Springs. (Chancey Bush/ The Gazette)
A carrot dipped in Old World, a classic Swiss cheese fondue at Mona Lisa Fondue in Manitou Springs. (Chancey Bush/ The Gazette)
Pair a bottle of Mona Lisa wine with fondue at Mona Lisa Fondue in Manitou Springs. (Chancey Bush/ The Gazette)
Strawberries dipped in chocolate fondue at Mona Lisa Fondue in Manitou Springs.
Chocolate and Old World Swiss cheese fondue at Mona Lisa Fondue in Manitou Springs.
A classic Swiss cheese fondue in a white wine base at Mona Lisa Fondue in Manitou. “The key to luscious fondue is choosing cheeses that aren’t too oily,” says Janon Bourgeois, chef instructor at The French Kitchen.
Strawberries dipped in chocolate fondue at Mona Lisa Fondue in Manitou Springs. (Chancey Bush/ The Gazette)
Strawberries dipped in chocolate at Mona Lisa Fondue.
Old World, a classic Swiss cheese fondue in a white wine base, at Mona Lisa Fondue in Manitou Springs. (Chancey Bush/ The Gazette)
A carrot dipped in Old World, a classic Swiss cheese fondue at Mona Lisa Fondue in Manitou Springs. (Chancey Bush/ The Gazette)
Pair a bottle of Mona Lisa wine with fondue at Mona Lisa Fondue in Manitou Springs. (Chancey Bush/ The Gazette)
In a normal year, Valentine’s Day is one of the most heavily booked days at restaurants. This year, with dining restrictions in place, it’s going to be even more challenging to find a reservation.
Why compete for a seat? We have the perfect solution: fondue for two at home. There’s nothing like lingering over an ooey-gooey cheese or luscious chocolate fondue, and it’s a surefire way to impress, as well as to leisurely enjoy each other’s company.
Just ask Jeff Kiepke. He has owned the Mona Lisa Fondue Restaurant in Manitou Springs for 24 years. The holiday has become so popular there that he had to expand the celebration to a full week to accommodate the eatery’s fans.
“Our customers are very diverse and seem to like the many choices,” he said. “But, of course, our most popular cheese fondue is the traditional Old World. This is the classic white wine base, gruyere and Emmental Swiss cheese fondue.”
Homemade cheese fondue is where we’ll start. Then have a look at Kiepke’s offerings for some creative ways to change things up:
• New World sharp cheddar and Emmental Swiss cheeses blended in a savory beer base.
• South-of-the-Border smooth cheddar cheese paired with homemade strawberry salsa and served with tortilla chips.
• Greek Isle with Emmental, gruyere, Swiss and blue cheese in a white wine base, topped with feta cheese, pine nuts and kalamata olives.
• Brie with brie cheese melted in a white wine base with fresh basil and topped with sliced almonds.
• French-style Fontina, which is blended with an egg and cracked pepper in a cream base.
• Winter Cranberry Brie with brie cheese garnished with fresh cranberries and rosemary.
His number one suggestion for making a cheese fondue is to not use a store-bought fondue pot.
“They are usually made of metal that is too thin,” he said. “And they don’t have a separate bowl to hold the hot cheese over steaming water. The cheese burns to the pot, resulting in ruined fondue and a big mess to clean up.”
Janon Bourgeois, a chef instructor at The French Kitchen, has a recommendation for a fondue pot: enameled cast-iron cookware.
“They are heavy enough to melt the cheese until you have finished eating,” she said.
Le Creuset makes enameled cast iron in multiple colors and sizes. A 4-quart pot works well for a cheese fondue for two. Sparrow Hawk Gourmet Cookware downtown has a large selection of sizes and colors.
“We still carry all things Le Creuset,” said Alan Eppley with Sparrow Hawk Gourmet. “However, they discontinued their fondue pot a couple of years ago. Fortunately, Swissmar’s enameled cast iron fondues match Le Creuset’s performance and colors nicely.”
When it comes to making and serving cheese fondue, Bourgeois had some suggestions.
“The key to luscious fondue is choosing cheeses that aren’t too oily. This can break the sauce and make it separate,” she said. “A little splash of cordial is fun to add, like Kirsch or Grand Marnier.”
As far as dippers, she likes to balance bread with a little fruit and veggies, like carrots, celery, apples, dried apricots or pretzels wrapped with prosciutto.
After the main course — or as a stand-alone dessert — it’s time for chocolate fondue. Take some inspiration from Kiepke, who takes milk chocolate, white chocolate and dark chocolate in several directions, including adding flavored liqueurs to the pot. Here are some of the combinations on his dessert menu:
• Flaming Turtle with milk chocolate swirled with caramel, topped with walnuts and served ablaze
• Cookies & cream with dark chocolate topped with marshmallow cream and crushed Oreo cookies
• Peanut butter with milk chocolate blended with peanut butter, topped with toasted peanuts
• Almond Joy with dark chocolate and almond liqueur, topped with coconut and sliced almonds.
• Decadent delight with white chocolate swirled with caramel, topped with toffee and walnuts.
• Salted caramel with milk chocolate, caramel and sea salt.
• Winter chestnut praline with white chocolate with creamy, chestnut praline swirled in and topped with candied pecans.
Dippers for chocolate fondue can be marshmallows, chunks of brownies, firm pound cake, strawberries, bananas and apples.
You can do what Kiepke does at the restaurant and plan a four-course meal of a salad, cheese fondue, a meat platter and chocolate fondue. Or keep it simple and just go for a dessert fondue.
With so many choices, you can extend your Valentine’s Day to as many weekends as you’d like!
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
In a medium saucepan over low heat, mix together milk, Worcestershire sauce, ground dry mustard, garlic and flour. Heat until almost boiling.
Gradually stir in Cheddar cheese. Continue heating until all the cheese has melted. Keep the mixture warm and melted in a fondue dish.
½ pound premium semisweet chocolate (recommended: Lindt or Callebaut)
Strawberries, bananas, pineapple, brownies, marshmallows, cookies or any other dipping item of your choice.
Put approximately 4 inches of water in the saucepan and bring to a slow boil. Place the mixing bowl on top and pour in the heavy cream; let heat.
Meanwhile, break up or chop chocolate into small pieces. When the cream feels hot to the touch, add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Whisk in vanilla and brandy.
Pour into the fondue pot and light the fuel underneath; keep the flame low as not to burn the fondue. Arrange strawberries, bananas, pineapple, brownies, marshmallow, cookies or any of your favorite items on a platter and enjoy.
New menu options at Local Relic tasting room eateries, Manitou Springs food truck offering beignets and espresso drinks in time for Mardi Gras, last minute round up of Valentine’s Day dining options, and new pizza place to open soon downtown.
Food writer for features life section and columnist for Go! Entertainment - Table Talk column
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