Excerpt from C.H. Admirand’s Section
Dedication
For my Mom: Dolores Purcell Dobbs
My Grandmothers: Dorothy Charette Purcell and Helen Bleam Dobbs
My Great-Grandmothers: Margaret Mary Flaherty Charette and Mary Elizabeth Daley Purcell
Thanks, Mom for teaching me the value of learning how to do chores and being responsible for getting them done. For teaching me how to cook and bake (and sharing your secret for flaky piecrust), learning how to can fruit, vegetables, jams and jellies and so many more things I never appreciated until I had my own family.
I still love to hang clothes out on the line and listen to the birds as they sing to me (although I do ask them not to poop on the clean clothes.) There’s just something about taking the sheets off the line and drawing in a deep breath of fresh air and sunshine infused in the clean sheets.For those of you reading this, I hope you’ll feel the hugs and love in these recipes, some of which have been passed down a generation or two. Whenever I bake them, I think of my great-grandmothers, my grandmothers and my mom—strong, independent, forward-thinking women and wonder if they’re all up there baking these recipes in Heaven’s Kitchen…
Grandma’s Fondue
(Cheddar Cheese, Garlic and Tomato)
My Grandma liked to pass down recipes the old-fashioned way, you watched her prepare the recipe and learned by doing. After years of watching me prepare her fondue and changing the recipe every time I made it, our oldest son asked me to write it down.
Ingredients:
½ large can (32 ounce) of crushed tomatoes (or substitute ready-made marinara sauce)
2 to 3 -one pound blocks of sharp cheddar cheese, cubed (or shredded)
6 to 8 cloves garlic, minced
Handful or so dried basil (about 1 tablespoon)
Splash of white wine (or the Merlot on the counter)
Loaf of Italian bread cut into cubes for dipping
Directions:
Heat the crushed tomatoes (or pasta sauce) in the top of a double-boiler pan over medium heat. Add the cubed (or shredded) cheese to the hot tomatoes and stir, mixing well. Add the minced garlic and a handful or so of the dried basil. Mix thoroughly, stirring constantly so the cheese melts evenly and doesn’t stick to the pan. Add the wine and don’t forget to taste test it with the bread cubes – no double-dipping, kids!!
Either serve the way Grandma did: pile bread cubes on your plate and ladle the fondue over top; or place the double-boiler pan on a trivet in the middle of your table next to a bowl of the cubed bread. Grab a fork, spear the bread, and swirl in the yummy fondue. *Warning: This recipe is so good; over-eating is possible*
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