Fondeux: Just For Me And You

December 13, 2021

The new year is fast approaching and I can’t help but be baffled by 2021? Perhaps I just put too much hope into a year that certainly seemed to be one of great transition: for myself and possibly the entire country navigating the shockwaves of 2020, attempting to find a way out of the mess the pandemic and political unrest created. I think we can all agree 2020 was a grave disappointment, but was 2021 actually worse? The promise of change without any real significant change? These are not questions I plan to answer today while imagining the Swiss alps in my living room but it does ring true in why I am not planning to attend any large gatherings this holiday season, and why I continue to be frustrated by the fact that we don’t seem to be back at equilibrium here when it comes to true safety for big trips and large over the top parties to ring in the New Year.

Let me clarify that, large parties, no; over the top, always.

One of the biggest fears I faced in 2020, before all the drama went down, was skiing! Thanks to a lovely instructor I was able to conquer the slopes again with confidence after some bad experiences to say the least, one of them which occurred on the Swiss alps themselves.

So in true I’m desperate for the pandemic to end please take to Gstaad fashion, I decided to bring some much missed chalet vibes into my home for a night in with my hubby and my one true love, cheese.

I can’t remember when exactly fondue made a huge splash in my childhood but it definitely reached it’s peak popularity while I was a teenager, I believe I may have even hosted my own fondue night at home if I remember correctly! There was a place in Lincoln Park my friends and I used to venture to often with chocolate fondue before heading to various house parties on the weekends. It was absolutely adorable with various shades of pink decor and a heartwarming concept of togetherness, eating in such close proximity to friends. And while fondue is most certainly not a covid friendly food I still bask in the idea of getting back to that place soon, joining without fear and globs of pungent hand sanitizer.

But this was meant for just myself and a very special someone to enjoy after the baby went to sleep, as the alps are nowhere in our near future.

I rallied up the aged gruyere and fontina (I couldn’t find the Vacherin Fribourgeois) using this traditional recipe that we loved so much that we froze the leftovers for later. (I have a really great pre-made one linked at the bottom of the post.) And aside from the sourdough bread I cut into small chunks and let sit out to get extra crusty, we dipped mini apples, cauliflower, carrots and pears into the pot of love. Honestly anything would last absolutely delicious with this melted cheese!

Perhaps the champs and chocolate was a bit much to add but I just couldn’t help myself after seeing my beloved Toblerone at Target and getting giddy about the fact that it fit perfectly into my Swiss theme. It’s not my fault that my favorite foods pair well with acid reflux!

But aside from the acid reflux the evening achieved what it was meant to a-cheeseeeee, apologeeessse I couldn’t help myself! Essentially the vintage copper fondue pot I purchased during the pandemic while dreaming about swooshing down a green ru. It seemed to have finally served it’s big purpose, to compliment the most fabulous set of feather pajamas that obviously inspired the whole night. Xx

Monica Gisele Simanovsky

Monica Gisele Simanovsky