Did you know that yesterday was National Chocolate Cake Day? Who comes up with these things?

I was busy working on a column yesterday, so didn’t get around to making a chocolate cake until late in the day. You probably know that I am an admitted chocoholic. But, I’m not a huge cake fan. I can take it or leave it, chocolate or not.

Although it’s not quite February, I’m getting into the mood for Valentine’s Day. I went downstairs to my shelves of things that I must have but don’t use very often. I pulled out a pan with six deep heart shapes. I don’t think I’ve ever used it. It was on a pile with several other baking pans, all sizes and all with heart shapes. I’m such a sucker for anything hearts when it comes to cooking and baking.

Next, I went to my file drawer and pulled out a bulging hanging folder labeled "Cakes and Frosting." It holds an accumulation of recipes clipped over many years. I came to a page that I’d pulled out of a Creative Ideas for Living magazine in 1995. (Is that magazine even around anymore?) A recipe for Chocolate Chocolate Bundt Cake caught my eye.

I adapted the original recipe (which sounded to me like it would produce a dry cake), adding plain Greek-style yogurt and a little baking soda. The recipe also calls for 1 cup of chocolate chips to be stirred into the batter before baking. I scooped a cup of chips out of my bowl that holds all the little bits of chips left in the bottom of bags. It’s a combination of peanut butter chips, butterscotch, milk chocolate, semisweet and who knows what else. I made six cute little chocolate Valentines and baked the remaining batter in my small Bundt cake pan.

I never bake a cake in any kind of Bundt pan without first coating the pan with a goopy mixture made of equal parts vegetable or canola oil, shortening and flour. I brush the greasy mixture in every little nook and cranny using my pastry brush. You’ll never have a cake stick to the pan again. Unless you don’t use enough greasy stuff. After brushing down my hearts, I only had enough mixture left to give the small bundt pan a skimpy coat. I didn’t feel like mixing up more, so I made do with what I had. Big mistake. As you can see from the photo, the cake stuck to the pan a little bit and I had to patch it up. But the glaze does a pretty good job of covering up the bumpy surface.

I tried just a little nibble of the cake. The flavor reminds me of a chocolate milk shake. Maybe it’s the 2 cups of chocolate syrup in the batter that gives it that taste. The texture, similar to a light pound cake. As far as cakes go, I can take or leave this one. But it’s my favorite glaze spooned over the cake that makes me want more. Do not even think of having this cake without the glossy glaze that tastes so divine.

Now I can toss that piece of paper from my file folder. But, oh, there are so many more clipped recipes still stuffed into my drawer of file folders. Maybe I should try to dedicate at least one day a month to "Try a Clipped Recipe from the File Drawer Day." Can someone please make that National?

P.S. Want to know what my favorite kitchen tool is? You’ll find the answer at One for the Table. Click here.

Chocolate Chocolate Cake

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 (24-ounce) bottle chocolate syrup or 2 cups
• 1 cup plain yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, or any kind of chips

Grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift flour, baking powder and baking soda together and set aside. Cream butter in large mixing bowl with electric mixer. Gradually add sugar. When all sugar has been added, beat mixture at medium speed for 8 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and yogurt and blend well. Gradually add sifted ingredients and chocolate syrup, starting and ending with dry ingredients. Stir in chips. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in 350-degree oven for about 1 hour or until cake tests done with a wooden pick. Cool 10 minutes in pan. Loosen sides and invert onto rack and cool completely. Once cool, spoon glaze over the top. Makes 16 servings.

Chocolate Glaze

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1-1/2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

Combine sugar, cocoa, whipping cream, butter and honey in a heavy saucepan. Cook over low heat until mixture is smooth, stirring often. Do not boil. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Makes about 2-1/4 cups.

The Chinese New Year begins today. My midwestern mind thinks about the best cream-cheese-filled wontons I’ve eaten at an Asian restaurant. And the little filled steamed dumplings I learned to make years ago in a Chinese cooking class I attended. And the made-from-scratch filled dumplings I made with friends a year or so ago.

It was at the same time I received a review copy of "A World of Dumplings," by Brian Yarvin. As I made my first browse-through, I was immediately impressed by all the step-by-step photos that were inclueded with many of the recipes. As I flipped through the book a second time I started marking pages.  And I started thinking: So many filled sweet and savory dumpling delicacies from around the world — where to begin? Pennsylvania Dutch Apple Dumplings? Or, maybe the Potato Pierogi’s with Caramelized Onions on the side?

Yarvin shares his stories about each of the fried, steamed, boiled and baked dumplings he traveled far and wide to learn about before including them in his book. I wonder how much weight he gained while doing all this research. But, oh, what delicious calories they must have been.

There is something about the shades of green that decorate the pages and highlight the recipes that invited me into the book and made me feel warm and cozy — perfect for dumplings, a food that brings comfort to mind. But as the reader instantly discovers, dumplings are not just for simmering in a pot of chicken noodle soup.

I gathered with friends to try out the first recipe. I mixed the dough ahead of time, using the recipe for Chinese Wheat-Flour Dumpling Wrappers. It needs to be refrigerated, anyway, so it rested and chilled until it was time to get to work with my dumpling makers. To our delight, the dough was easy to roll and so easy to eat. We had a great time rolling and visiting as we sipped wine. Yes, the dumplings were still perfectly shaped.

We made a filling of napa cabbage and ground pork. Although they are called Japanese Fried Dumplings in the book, I think we can get by using them for Chinese New Year.

If you’re used to using wonton wrappers purchased from the store, you will be amazed at how much softer this dough is and how easy it handles. And of course, how much better it tastes.

These are great to make with a group of friends. Make the dough, mix the filling and stir up the dipping sauce before everyone arrives. Then hand them each a rolling pin and the rest is pure fun. Or get your family involved for a something-different evening in the kitchen. And, if you are planning to celebrate Chinese New Year, you’ve still got time to make these delicious Fried Dumplings with Dipping Sauce.

Chinese Wheat-Flour Dumpling Wrappers

• 3 cups all-purpose flour plus extra for the work surface
• 1 cup boiling water

Put the flour in a large bowl and add the boiling water. Use a wooden spoon to get the mixture well blended. If the dough is dry and cracking, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time until it is moist and springy. If the dough is sticky, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time until it’s smooth. When the mixture has cooled a bit, knead it for about 7 minutes or until a poke with a finger causes it to bounce bakc like a soft pillow. Cover the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

After the dough has rested, use your thumb to poke a hole in the center. Gradually enlarge the hole until it looks like a large bagel. Using a sort of hand-over-hand technique (this is where Yarvin’s step-by-step photos are handy), squeeze the dough until it forms a rope about 3/4-inch in diameter.

To make the dumpling wrappers, slice the dough into pieces about 34 inch long, and roll each piece into a ball. On a floured work surface, roll out the ball into a thin disk about 3 inches in deameter. A piece of parchment paper between the dough and rolling pin will make things a bit easier. (We didn’t need the parchment. The dough was not sticky and was easy to roll.)

Store the formed wrappers bewteen sheets of parchment or waxed paper so that they don’t dry out. If you won’t be working with them within a few minutes, refrigerate them. Makes 50 wrappers.

Recipe from: "A World of Dumplings," by Brian Yarvin. The Countryman Press. 2007.

Japanese Fried Dumplings

• 1 cup finely chopped Napa cabbage
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions (green onions)
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• Vegetable oil for frying

Combine the cabbage, green onions, ground pork, sesame oil, sugar, soy sauce, garlic and ginger in a bowl. Using your hands, mix the ingredients thoroughly, making sure that they are will combined and evenly distributed.

Spoon a teaspoon of filling in the center of a round dumpling wrapper, fold the disk in half, and pinch it shut. This is the classic half-moon shape.

Heat the oil (1/8 inch deep is fine) in a nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Fry the dumplings in small batches, turning over frequently. Make sure the meat filling is cooked all the way through. There should be no sign of pink in the middle, the wrappers should be crisp golden brown, and the juices should run clear. Drain on paper towels before serving. Makes 25 dumplings. Serve with Gyoza Dipping Sauce.

Recipe from: "A World of Dumplings," by Brian Yarvin. The Countryman Press. 2007.

Gyoza Dipping Sauce

• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped green onions
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil

Mix all ingredients together in small bowl. Let stand for at least 15 minutes before serving so that the flavors can combine properly. Makes 1/2 cup.

Recipe from: "A World of Dumplings," by Brian Yarvin. The Countryman Press. 2007.

 If you think dry and crumbly when you hear cornbread, you’re not alone. That’s exactly what I used to think. I remember the square cake pan of cornbread my mom used to make. It was so dry, I could hardly speak as I tried to swallow the sticky crumbs.

After much experimenting, I came up with a recipe that is moist with a much finer texture than most cornbread. The batter includes 1 cup of oil. Several years ago I used vegetable oil. As I became a bit more health conscious, I began using canola oil. Now I use walnut oil. Clearly one of the most healthful oils, it is a great source of antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids. Its mild, neutral flavor makes it perfect for using as fat in baked goods. It’s a bit more expensive than canola oil, but so worth it for the health benefits it delivers. It can sometimes be found near the the other cooking oils in the grocery store. I find it at my local natural food co-op and the natural food section of the local grocery stores.

Another way to kick-up the nutritional benefits of this bread is to use whole white wheat flour.

This flour, which has all the nutrition and fiber of standard whole-wheat flour but with a lighter color and milder, sweet flavor, is milled from a hard white winter wheat berry, rather than the hard red spring wheat berry of traditional whole-wheat flours.

I’ve been using the flour from Dakota Family Mill. If you live in the Red River Valley region, you may find this flour in your grocery store. My local food co-op carries it. You can also order their Whole White Wheat Flour through their web site, where it is available in 5-pound bags.

My use of Bob’s Red Mill stone-ground corn flour also contributes to the fine texture of the bread. It maintains all of the bran, the germ and the endosperm and is the key to producing cornbread that is not crumbly, yet still rich with flavor.

I bake the bread in a 12- x 4 3/4-inch loaf pan that used to belong to my great-aunt. The recipe will also make two traditional-sized loaves.

A thick slice of warm Sweet Cornbread slathered with butter and drizzled with honey is simply delicious. Try eating it with a bowl of hot, spicy chili — wonderful. And it is a perfect accompaniment with the Red Beans and Rice that I write about in this week’s food column.

Sweet Cornbread

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup walnut oil*
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups whole white wheat flour*
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 cup whole grain stone ground corn flour*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two loaf pans (approximatley 9- x 5- x 3-inches). When I use my 12-inch-long loaf pan, I line it with parchment paper to make the removal of the loaf easier and less likely to break.

Beat eggs, oil and sugar in a mixing bowl. I like to use an 8-cup glass measure. Add milk and vanilla and blend well. Sift flour, salt, baking powder and corn flour together. Add to the ingredients in the mixing bowl, stirring until batter is quite smooth.

Spread the batter into the loaf pan(s). Bake two traditional loaves for about 35 minutes. One long loaf will take about 55 minutes. Allow to cool in pans for 10 minutes. Turn out onto cooling racks.

* You can use all-purpose flour rather than whole white wheat, canola oil rather than walnut oil and corn meal rather than corn flour. But, it just won’t be the same.

 Before I even walked through the door of Katalin Banfalvi’s home, I could smell the familiar fragrance of sweet paprika, simmering soup and yeast dough. It took me back so many years to my Hungarian grandma’s Indiana farmhouse kitchen. The same smells. And, I knew the same foods were just ahead.

It was my first visit to Hungary. The timing couldn’t have been better. It was October. The days were warm, the sun was bright. And on this day, I was leaving my home base in Budapest and heading to the countryside of northwestern Hungary. Gabor Banfalvi, Katalin’s son, was driving the car. We were planning to get to Katalin’s home in time for dinner.

Soup, paprika chicken, homemade little dumplings, cucumber salad and special homemade sweet rolls for dessert. Yes, it was the same kind of meal I remembered eating as a child, seated around a huge table with all my Hungarian relatives.

Katalin started our meal with husleves (HOOSH-levesh), or meat soup. A clear, rich beef broth with tiny pasta logs soaking in the juice. The vegetables were served on a platter, allowing us to choose the carrots or parsnips that had been cooked to perfect tenderness. When we had finished the soup, Katalin brought the meat to the table. She explained (through her son’s interpretation) that this is the typical way soup is served in Hungary. First the broth with noodles. Diners choose vegetables to add to their bowl of soup from the platter on the table. Then, when everyone was finished with the soup, out came the meat. Put a chunk in your bowl and eat it. A little horseradish sauce on the side is good. And then, the rest of the meal.

 Katalin explained that she cooks the pasta in a separate pot, adding it to the soup at the last minute. If she makes the soup a day before serving, she stores the pasta separate from the broth. This prevents the pasta from soaking up all the broth.

Another tip from Katalin: Put all of the spices in a tea ball before adding them to the simmering stock. This makes it easy to remove them.

If you don’t have a tea ball, a four- or five-inch square of cheesecloth will also work. Gather the spices up in the cheese cloth and tie it with a piece of kitchen twine.

I also use cheese cloth to line the colander before I strain the stock. It catches all the little bits of veggies and meat and results in a clear broth.

I followed Katalin’s directions (mostly) and used her soup-making tips. I must say, I cooked up a mighty fine pot of husleves. Photo below.

To get the recipe for my creation of Katalin’s soup and to listen to Katalin explain (in Hungarian) how she makes husleves, (lucky for us, her son Gabor tells us in English what she is saying) you will find it at this link: Warm Up For Winter With Hearty Hungarian Meat Soup.

Other tips you may find helpful:

If you find pouring stock through a cheesecloth-lined colander doesn’t work for you, consider making stock using a pasta liner in your pot. Fine Cooking explains how at this link: Make Stock in a Pasta Strainer.

It’s not unheard of to make stock in the crockpot. You can read more about that at this link: Stock in the Slow Cooker.

There’s nothing like having a home office on days like this. When the temperature drops to way, way below zero I can work in my flannel jammies with a big pot of hot dark coffee at my side. Oh, it’s so cozy.

But there are dangers, too. Take, for instance, the fact that a kitchen full of food is just steps away from my office. And when the weather is cold and I’m house-bound for the day, I get cravings. I want sugar. I want carbs. I want fat. And they’re all so easy to get.

On my last trip to the kitchen, one lonely brownie was staring at me through it’s cloak of clear plastic. I’d been ignoring it all day. But this time, it was calling my name so loudly, I had to eat it to get rid of the annoyance. There!

Alas, I find that one is not enough. I want more. Fortunately, I have the recipe. My friend, Cori, came over the other day with a plate of her special brownies. The one I just ate was part of that happy gift. They’re chocolatey with just the right amount of chew in each bite.  Big chunks of walnuts for the perfect amount of buttery crunch and an extra punch of chocolate with chips of the dark stuff dotting the top of each brownie. Cori pushes walnut halves and choclate chips onto the top of the batter before she puts the pan into the oven. She says that allows anyone who doesn’t care for nuts to easily pick them off.

Here is Cori’s recipe. And the best news? It makes a big 9- x 13-inch pan full of luscious chocolate — just right for a cold-weather, carb-loading, fat-filled, sugar-saturated day like today. Thanks for sharing, Cori.

Cori’s Fudge Brownies

• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (Cori likes Drosti brand)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• walnut halves
• chocolate chips or chunks

Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and sugar together into a large bowl. In another bowl, mix eggs, oil and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and wet ingredients in one bowl. Stir to mix. Do not beat. Do not overmix. Spread batter in greased 9- x 13-inch pan. Press walnut halves and chocolate chips onto top of batter. Bake for 28 minutes in preheated 350-degree oven.

I’m not sure that I’ve ever mentioned how I dislike eating leftovers. Unless it’s soup, I can’t think of any dish that tastes better the second time around. And, with just two of us in this house (not counting our golden retriever who often helps us get rid of the leftovers) sometimes one dish can hang around for a week.

With the ever increasing cost of food, I’ve decided this year I’m really going to work at transforming leftover food. With a new look and new flavor I just might be able to eat them. A few days ago I prepared a pork tenderloin and roasted small chunks of sweet potatoes right along with the pork. The pork quickly disappeared, but those little sweet potatoes seemed to keep multiplying in a bowl in the refrigerator. They wouldn’t go away.

One day I seasoned some of the creamy chunks with chili powder and ground cumin and added a small can of diced green chiles. I rinsed and drained a can of black beans and tossed them up with some fresh lime juice and minced garlic. The black beans and sweet potatoes got rolled up in a corn tortilla with some cheddar cheese. Smothered in enchilada sauce, they baked for about 25 minutes. Oh, so good. Couldn’t possibly be leftovers, could it?

And now there is the couscous dish. I use traditional couscous often. I love its versatility and the fact that it cooks in just minutes. Although it looks like a tiny grain, couscous is made from roughly milled kernels of durum wheat, or semolina.

This week I discovered whole wheat couscous in the natural food section of a local grocery store. Made from whole wheat berries, it retains the brown bran and germ, making it more nutritious than the refined variety. It has a mild flavor and it, also, cooks in just a few minutes.

I typically have some cooked chicken in my refrigerator or freezer, ready and waiting to be rolled up in a tortilla, heated up in some broth, added to fried rice or tossed into a salad with fresh greens.

Chicken, meet sweet potatoes and couscous.

Couscous with Chicken and Sweet Potatoes has few ingredients. It’s just right for a quick meal after a long, busy day. Just cook some couscous, saute onions, toast some pine nuts and then mix it all together with cooked chicken, sweet potatoes and a sweet-tart lemon and honey sauce. You could use any leftover vegetables you have — it doesn’t need to be sweet potatoes.

The little sweet potato chunks have finally disappeared from the refrigerator. Hmmm. Wonder what I can do with the sauerkraut and potatoes that are in there.

Couscous with Chicken and Sweet Potatoes

• 1-1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup uncooked couscous
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 chubby clove garlic, minced
• 2 cups cooked sweet potato chunks (or any vegetable of choice)
• 1 to 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Bring chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in couscous. Cover pot and continue to simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Set aside and allow to sit, covered, while preparing the other ingredients.

Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized skillet and saute onion until tender. Add garlic and saute another minute. Add sweet potato chunks and chicken and stir until heated through. Remove pan from heat.

In a small bowl, mix honey and lemon juice together.

Remove lid from couscous. Broth should all be absorbed. Fluff the couscous with a fork. Add couscous to mixture in skillet. Stir in the honey and lemon juice mixture. At this point pine nuts can be added. I like to save them and sprinkle them over the top of each serving. The couscous mixture can be packed into ramekins that have been lightly coated with non-stick cooking spray. Invert onto each serving plate. Sprinkle with pine nuts. Since I was serving this as an entree, I used a 10-ounce ramekin. Smaller ones would also work. A 1-cup measure works if you don’t have ramekins. Makes 6 servings.

* I like to toast pine nuts in a small dry skillet over medium-high heat until golden, about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Watch them carefully, because they will easily burn. Immediately transfer the toasted pine nuts to a plate to cool.

*Discover another way I used some of the cooked chicken from my refrigerator. It’s in my food column this week. You can get my recipe for Ramen Noodles with Chicken, Broccoli and Peanuts by clicking here.

Last night I had some friends over for dinner. We’re a group of women who love to cook and play in the kitchen and we love to eat. We call our group of about a dozen "The Cookbook Club." You see, each month when we get together, we choose a theme. Each person brings a dish prepared from a recipe in a cookbook and that cookbook should have been published within the last five years.

This month’s theme was Clean Eating. You may be hearing about this philisophy for eating. It’s really just consuming food in its most natural state. Lots of fresh colorful fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, no processed foods. Wholesome and satisfying, it leads to good health and a lean body.

We never know what exactly we’ll be eating until everyone shows up with dish in hand. Last night we started out with a seasoned baked shrimp appetizer. We nibbled and visited as we sipped on our clean cocktail: unsweetened cranberry juice, fresh-squeezed lime juice and sparkling water.

After that, we gathered around the "clean table" for salads of fresh greens, wild rice, fruits, nuts and cheese. Some seasoned, steamed fresh salmon. I chose a recipe from Ellie Krieger’s "The Food You Crave" cookbook. Balsamic Chicken with Baby Spinach and Couscous took no time at all to prepare. I flattened the boneless, skinless chicken breasts before everyone arrived. Each breast had a turn in a large zip-top plastic bag to get its pounding. I used a frying pan as my hammer, just as I watched Jamie Oliver do as he prepared Parmesan Chicken with Mark Bittman on video. You can watch the short video by clicking here.

I had the few remaining ingredients measured out and ready to go. As my friends were eating the last of the shrimp, I prepared the chicken dish. We all commented on how quickly the whole process went. The balsamic vinegar gives the sauce a very unique and unexpected flavor. I’d suggest using a nice quality balsamic vinegar with wonderful flavor. Not all balsamic vinegars are created equal. We wound up topping the salmon with some extra sauce. Must experiment, you know. Nice results. This sauce would also be good with beef. I think it’s quite versatile, really.

Krieger suggests serving the dish with cooked whole wheat couscous. I use couscous quite often because it’s quick-cooking. Surprisingly, though, my local food co-op doesn’t carry the whole wheat variety. I did find some, though, in the natural food section in a local grocery store. It cooks in just a few minutes, similar to the regular couscous.

So, we cleared off the dirty table and made way for clean food. And we were all satisfied with the delicious, fresh flavors. But, I must confess — we each had one little piggy-shaped shorbread cookie for dessert. I made the cookies using a recipe from "The Pastry Queen" cookbook by Rebecca Rather. (Please don’t squeal on us.) I will have to try to post a picture of these cute little melt-in-your-mouth piggies at a later date.

We were all members of the Clean Plate Club at the end of the evening.

To see Ellie Krieger’s recipe for the balsamic chicken, click here.

How about you? Do you have a favorite cookbook you go to when you’re looking for some healthful dish to prepare?

There was a time when gathering people around a fondue pot to cook their own food was very popular. It was the 1970′s I think — about the same time I got married. My husband and I recieved three of these "communal" pots as wedding gifts. I think I remember using one or two of them one or two times soon after the wedding. And then they sat. For years.

My experience with fondue was very limited. I remember going to a Minneapolis restaurant with my parents on special occasions where they would serve a a bowl of cheese fondue warming over the flame of a tiny tea candle. Each table of diners would recieve this bowl of melted deliciousness along with a basket of crunchy, house-made garlic croutons. As a young girl, the process of poking one of those toasted chunks with a long, slender fork and dunking it into the warm cheese before popping it into my mouth, felt quite elegant.

And, I do remember a couple of times when my parents had friends over for a "fondue party." It was a long, drawn-out affair, with the meal lasting for hours as each person skewered a piece of meat with a fondue fork and placed it into a fondue pot full of hot, bubbling oil to cook. It’s definitely not fast-food. And it’s not a meal in 30 minutes or less. It’s slow food.

Five or six years ago we took a couple of the pots out of their boxes, gathered up the long fondue forks that were dispersed throughout kitchen drawers and a dining room hutch, and purchased some sterno to burn under the fondue pots. We had decided to do a family fondue night. A platter of thin strips of chicken, beef and fresh shrimp was centered between two pots of hot peanut oil. It wasn’t too far into the whole experience of cooking meat in the communal pots, when my husband decided he’d had enough. It was taking just way too long to cook the meat. And he discovered that when he put several forks of meat into the pot at one time, the temperature of the oil went down, so it took longer to cook. He went to the kitchen cupboard and pulled out the big electric wok. He heated it up and pitched all the meat into the big hot pot, stir fried it, and that was that. So much for casual, unhurried dining, slow-food style, at our house.

We still enjoy an occasional bowl of cheese or chocolate fondue, though. Here, in the land of cold, snowy winters, a warm bowl of melted cheese and big chunks of chewy, crusty bread is comfort food. Returning home chilled and hungry after some snowshoeing the other day, I stirred up some cheese fondue using Brie cheese and basil pesto that I’d purchased at the grocery store. It didn’t take long to make — less than 30 minutes. It didn’t take long to eat — the chicken and bread were already cooked, and it didn’t take long to feel satisfied. Oh, my husband was happy.

It wasn’t quite the Swiss cheese fondue that I remember having in a restaurant as a child, but it sure was good. No wok required.

Brie and Pesto Fondue

• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 chubby clove of garlic, minced
• 1 large shallot, chopped fine
• 1-1/2 teaspoons champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
• 8 ounces Brie cheese, rind removed and cut into small cubes
• 1-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup basil pesto
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Chunks of crusty bread and cooked chicken

In a small, heavy saucepan, heat white wine, garlic and shallot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Add vinegar.

Toss cubes of Brie cheese with cornstarch. Add to warm wine mixture, small amounts at a time, over low heat. Stir after each addition, until cheese is melted. When all cheese has been added and mixture is smooth, remove from heat. Stir in pesto and blend well. Season to taste with black pepper. Serve warm, from a small, heavy fondue pot, with chunks of crusty, chewy bread, cooked chicken or fresh vegetables.

*I like to buy the basil pesto found in the refrigerated case at the grocery store. It has a fresh flavor.

*I use my cheese plane to remove rind from Brie cheese. It works best when the Brie is chilled, right from the refrigerator.

*In my food column this week, I share a recipe for baked Brie, topped with brown sugar and walnuts, served with spinach salad. For the recipe, click here.