Pork Belly Fondue

Pork Belly Fondue

Now I did this recipe for Pork Belly Fondue years ago, long before ChillaxBBQ and the knowledge of our mates at The Cheese Shop @ Joo Chiat. So how about I just tidy up the original recipe, and then have a crack at ChillaxBBQ to make an updated version of the recipe for our next up and coming BBQ. If you’re up for it give us a bell.

The French word, Fondre, is a verb meaning to melt. It’s of Swiss, French and Italian origins it seems. Basically melted cheese, chocolate or hot oil in a wee pot, that you then use skewers to dip different things in – like bread in the cheese version, fruit in to the chocolate and raw meats in to the oil. I have gone slightly against tradition today and made a Pork Belly Fondue. Well after all the Swiss Cheese Union, yes there is such a thing, promoted this as the Swiss National dish in 1930’s.

This fed 4.

• 1/3 cup of white wine – any will do to be honest;
• 1 tablespoon of finely chopped garlic;
• Fresh sprigs of Thyme;
• Sea salt & cracked black pepper;
• 1 French baguette – slice it about half inch thick and cut that slice in to quarters;
• 1 pork belly – now you could just go to your hawker and cut this up to bite sized pieces (as I did this day), or follow a recipe – like ChillaxBBQ’s (OK this is an older version of what we do today, but hey, we have to have some secrets right?)
• 2 tablespoons of corn flour;
• 200g of grated Parmesan cheese;
• 200g of grated Beaufort cheese; and
• 200g of grated Gruyere cheese.

Here we go – here comes Pork Belly Fondue;

1. Place bread pieces on a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper on to the bread. Then in to a 240 degree oven for about 10 minutes until the bread is browned and crispy;
2. In parallel take a saucepan and put in the wine, thyme leaves and garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper, and bring to the boil;
3. Let this boil until you can’t really smell too much of the wine alcohol;
4. Then throw in the grated cheeses, corn starch, and another pinch of salt and pepper;
5. Melt that down and you are done;
6. You are ready to serve with your breads and bellies.

I used a little fondue server that I had recently purchased in a sale at Isetan. Pop that on a chopping board so you can also lay out the meat and bread. Serve her up. Ding dong!!! Now you could add chili to the cheese. Change Thyme to Rosemary. Blah blah blah. Have a go with the above recipe first and then go experiment guys.

Pork Belly Fondue looks fantastic, and tasted equally as good. It’s also really good fun for the family to be a dipping away themselves. Next time, though, this is to be served in the evening with a red wine or a beer. If you have a crack at making this, make sure you do too, and please – ENJOY!!!

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