500359 Tue Mar 18 12:22:10 -0700 2008 15 31 Home Cooking 0 3504643 I was asked to bring a non-alcoholic fondue to a dinner party Thursday. Can I just substitute juice (like grape or apple) for the wine in a traditional recipe? Any other suggestions? Tue Mar 18 12:22:10 -0700 2008 166035 Aimi 1 3504660 Yes, probably, but add a little lemon juice or other acid like a little vinegar. The point of the wine beyond taste, as far as I know, is to add a little acid that helps the cheese melt smoothly and stabilize it so it doesn't seize with minor temperature changes. If I were you, I'd find a recipe that calls for a very small amount of wine or kirsch and sub 3/4 juice with 1/4 either lemon juice or apple cider vinegar (maybe use more if its apple cider vin since I think it's less acidic than lemon). I'm curious to see what other people suggest. Please tell me if my food science is wrong! Good luck. Tue Mar 18 12:27:02 -0700 2008 3504643 91090 slowfoodgrrl 2 3510623 Slowfoodgrrl is right. The alcohol prevents the cheese from seizing so you will need to add some acid to prevent that from happening. Thu Mar 20 08:07:41 -0700 2008 3504660 43893 C. Hamster 1 3504886 Here's one I've made before. It's not my favourite, but it works well enough and can sit in for a regular wine-based fondue if necessary: Creamy Cheddar Fondue 3/4 cup milk 3/4 cup apple juice or cider 1/4 cup all purpose flour 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard 1 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. black pepper 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese French bread, cut into cubes Lightly steamed vegetables, cut into chunks In a medium saucepan, whisk together the milk, apple juice, flour, mustard, salt and pepper. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Let simmer for about a minute, then remove from heat. Add the shredded cheese by handfuls, stirring between each addition, until all the cheese is melted and the mixture is smooth. Transfer to a fondue pot over a flame and serve with bread cubes and vegetables for dipping. Makes 2 servings, but can easily be doubled. My other suggestion would be to use a traditional fondue recipe and substitute de-alcoholized wine for regular. Or do something along the lines of a cheddar beer fondue but use non-alcoholic beer. Tue Mar 18 13:18:17 -0700 2008 3504643 12383 Nyleve 1 3506799 Great ideas! Thanks! Wed Mar 19 07:08:42 -0700 2008 3504643 166035 Aimi 1 3507017 If de-alcoholized wine or beer is acceptable, use that. Otherwise, recognize that it'll taste "funny" to anyone expecting the standard, but I think I'd use weak broth - beef, chicken, veg, onion - something with a basically compatible flavor to the cheese you're going to use. Apple juice could work with some cheese in terms of flavor, but it'll taste like a regular fondue recipe with several tablespoons or so of sugar added. Not good IMO. Wed Mar 19 08:08:49 -0700 2008 3504643 11980 MikeG 2 3507415 I have never had wine (>>gasp<<, I know), so I just assumed that it would have the same sugar content as the juice that it came from. Broth is a good idea. Wed Mar 19 09:53:21 -0700 2008 3507017 166035 Aimi 3 3507475 When I sub for wine, I use a mixture of broth, juice and a dash of vinegar. Wed Mar 19 10:07:24 -0700 2008 3507415 15001 jsaimd 3 3511999 FWIW, wine grapes are generally very sweet - sweeter than table grapes in fact - but the sugar is what yeast "convert" to alcohol. Some wines are made to be very sweet after fermentation but they don't make good fondue, either. ;) Thu Mar 20 13:33:36 -0700 2008 3507415 11980 MikeG 1 3507268 I think I would second the dealcoholized wine suggestion (if acceptable) and be sure to get good (ie strong) gruyere and emmental to compensate for lack of kirsch and any possible sweetness from the dealc wine. Mainly though I really want to know what you decided and how it worked out! Wed Mar 19 09:18:24 -0700 2008 3504643 65891 waver 2 3507427 What is dealcoholized wine and where does one find this? Wed Mar 19 09:55:21 -0700 2008 3507268 166035 Aimi 3 3507484 When I was in high school I used to buy this stuff at Trader Joe's. Was recently served some, and found it incredibly sweet, and perhaps too sweet for fondue. I don't know how representative the stuff I had was, and don't remember any details on maker, type, etc. I've never had dealcoholized beer, but that might be a better substitution for the savory tang of wine in fondue. Wed Mar 19 10:08:56 -0700 2008 3507427 15695 rose water 3 3508482 In So. Cal., most supermarkets carry a limited selection non-alcoholic wine and beer. If you can't find them in your supermarket, then try your favorite wine store. Here's a link to one brand: http://www.arielvineyards.com/wines.html Here's a link to a webpage which lists both non-alcoholic wines and beers: http://www.travelenvoy.com/wine/nonalcoholic.htm If you don't want to go with non-alcoholic wine, you could always use Martinelli's Sparkling Apple Cider. Wed Mar 19 14:04:01 -0700 2008 3507427 11028 DanaB 1 3508512 I usually substitute a little apple juice/cider - the less processed the better. It turns out just fine, especially if you're using a fairly strong cheese. Wed Mar 19 14:10:49 -0700 2008 3504643 97256 lindsaybrice 1 3510414 Wow! So many great ideas! I got some really good strong swiss cheeses (Emmentaler and Gruyere) from the cheese shop yesterday. I think I will use a mixture of liquids to get the best flavor - some broth, some tart apple cider, lemon juice, and some water or milk to get the right consistency. Thanks everyone! Thu Mar 20 07:11:54 -0700 2008 3504643 166035 Aimi 2 3533564 My final recipe (it turned out delicious - thanks to all the suggestions!) 1 cup dealcoholized wine (I found this in Meijer, next to the sparkling cider/juice) 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth Juice of 1 lemon Garlic cloves (to rub the pot with) 12 oz Emmentaler 6 oz Gruyere 1 Tbs corn starch 1 tsp dry mustard We had it with day-old sourdough bread, baked chicken (cubed), and lightly steamed broccoli and cauliflower. Yum! Thu Mar 27 11:25:53 -0700 2008 3510414 166035 Aimi