Fondue Is Back

In 1963 I took my first trip to Europe with Linda, a friend from high school and college. She was the perfect person to go with, as she had a Dutch father and a Swiss mmother. Her parents left Europe during the war to come to America, but many relatives stayed behind. We were lucky enough to stay with Linda's relatives in several cities. We were 2 young girls with a rail pass travelling from England to Greece and everywhere in between, so it was great to get to Amsterdam and stay with Linda's relatives for a few days. We saved some money, had a few great meals, and were on our way. Linda's mom came from a small town in Switzerland, called Sils Maria. It is near San Moritz, and our visit to that area was unforgetable. We stayed in Sils Maria with relatives, snuggled under a warm down comforter at night, and hiked the surrounding mountains during the day.

Although this trip was over 50 years ago, I remember it well. What I remember most was Linda's 80+ year old grandmother. She would take us out during the day, hiking all day as if she were a teenager. In fact, we were no match for her hiking skills. She was always waiting for us. It was a bit embarassing, but it taught me that older people can do much more than I ever thought possible. After our days in Sils Maria, we went to Zermatt. What a spectacular town. There are no cars in Zermatt, only horse drawn buggies taking you to your hotel or up and down the main street. Climbing to the base of the Matterhorn was a highlight of our time there. Another highlight was my introduction to cheese fondue. I had never had it before, but Linda's relatives took us to a fancy restaurant one night and introduced me to this very Swiss dish.

Fondue was very popular in the 1980's and I remember fondue sets being a very popular wedding gift. But fondue was a pain to make, so I haven't had it in a long time. Recently a few fondue restaurants have sprung up, but most are very expensive. Well, now you can have it at home at a very reasonable price, and it's delicious.

Trader Joe's has a new product, in the refrigerated case, called La Fondue. The price is $5.99. Ready to heat fondue comes in a soup like container. All you have to do is heat for 4 minutes and eat. We recently had it for dinner. I bought a loaf of French bread which I cut in cubes, made a delicious salad, heated the fondue, and had a wonderful dinner for 4 in about 20 minutes, and better yet, the cost was only about $10.

If you love fondue as I do, but don't want to go to one of the expensive fondue restaurants or fuss with cheeses, kirsch

, etc. to make it from scratch, this is a great alternative. Try it, you'll like it.