Soft Pretzels With Cambozola Cheese Fondue Recipes

Steps:

• Make the pretzels: Warm the milk in a saucepan until it's about 110 degrees; pour into a medium bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Let the yeast soften, about 2 minutes; stir in the brown sugar and 1 cup flour with a wooden spoon. Dice 2 tablespoons butter and soften; stir into the mix. Add the remaining 1 1/4 cups flour and the fine salt to make a sticky dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if needed, until smooth but still slightly tacky, about 5 minutes. Shape into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and grease a large baking sheet. Punch the dough to deflate it, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface. (If the dough seems tight, cover and let rest until it relaxes.) Divide the dough into 6 pieces. Roll and stretch each piece with the palms of your hands into a 30-inch rope, holding the ends and slapping the middle of the rope on the counter as you stretch. Form each rope into a pretzel shape.
• Dissolve the baking soda in 3 cups warm water in a shallow baking dish. Gently dip each pretzel in the soda solution, then arrange on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with the coarse salt. Bake until golden, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Prepare the sauce: Combine the mayonnaise, mustard, brown sugar and vinegar in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate.
• Melt the remaining 8 tablespoons butter in a shallow dish. Dip the hot pretzels in the butter, turning to coat; place on a wire rack to let excess butter drip off. Serve the pretzels warm with the sweet mustard sauce.
• Illustration by Jason Lee

Steps:

• Rub the bottom of a medium saucepan with the sliced garlic. Place over high heat and deglaze pan with wine. Toss the 2 cheeses with the cornstarch in a small bowl. Lower the heat and add the cheeses and stir until melted. Stir in the Kirsch, and season with black pepper and nutmeg. Serve with pieces of baguette, vegetables, and meats.

Steps:

• Rub the inside of a fondue pot with the garlic and discard the garlic. Put the wine into the fondue pot and warm it over medium heat until hot but not boiling. Add the cheeses gradually to the wine. Reduce the heat, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until the cheese has melted. Add the paprika, white pepper and cognac or kirsch, and continue stirring until the fondue is thick and creamy. Let guests dip their own bread, meat, or vegetables.;

Steps:

• For the pretzels: Whisk together the all-purpose flour, bread flour, sugar, yeast and kosher salt in a large bowl or a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Stir in the melted butter, egg yolks and warm water, then knead the dough until smooth, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Lightly oil the inside of a large bowl, add the dough and brush the top of the dough with some more olive oil. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, then put in a warm spot, such as the top of the fridge, until the dough has doubled in size, 30 to 40 minutes.
• When the dough is almost ready, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Place 6 cups water in a wide, shallow saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.
• Meanwhile, punch down the dough and lightly dust your work surface with flour. Flatten and stretch the dough into a rectangle about 8 inches wide and 12 inches long. Line up 4 pieces of the cheese lengthwise on one half of the dough, spacing them out evenly. Cut the dough in half crosswise and set aside the 8-by-6-inch half without the cheese.
• Place a scant tablespoon of the chiles along the top of each piece of cheese. Cut the dough evenly between the pieces of cheese so you end up with 4 rectangles of dough with the cheese in the middle of each. Dab the edges of the dough with a little water. Fold in the ends, then stretch the bottom edge over the center, roll over and seal shut, like a burrito. Repeat with the remaining dough half, cheese and chiles.
• When the water is simmering, stir in the baking soda. Working in batches, add the pretzels to the water and cook for 30 seconds, flipping once. Remove using a spider or slotted spoon and shake off any excess liquid, then place on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the top of the pretzels with the melted butter and sprinkle with the pretzel salt.
• Using a sharp paring knife, lightly score the top of each pretzel 4 times on the diagonal and bake until browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Set aside until cool to the touch, 5 to 10 minutes. Slice each pretzel crosswise into bite-size pieces. For serving, place the tortilla strips on a platter, top with the pretzel pieces, then layer on the chile salt, pickled jalapeños, Cheddar and scallions.