Fondue (please...really).

As you may know, most of Boston is under several feet of snow:

While it seems impossible it could all eventually melt away, we can do the culinary equivalent of a rain dance by melting tasty goodness indoors. This weekend I had my first home experience with fondue (which means "melted" in French) at a friend's house. Fondue is basically a melted base into which you dunk chunks of food in order to maximize surface area smothered in molten deliciousness. Much like hot pot, it's one of those wonderful communal activities where you and some buddies get cozy around a hot little table stove to make something soul-satisfying and delicious. You dip one bite at a time and savor the deliciousness of the building flavors, and you can adapt the basic method for many different ingredients and flavor profiles.

Until the snow melts, cheese and chocolate will have to do.

Fondue how-to:

1. In a small pot (we used a electric fondue set, which helps closely control the temperature), bring liquid to a boil
2. Chop/grate your sauce base (e.g., cheese, chocolate) into small pieces and add to hot liquid
3. Stir until small pieces have melted down into an ooey gooey dipping sauce
4. Prepare dipping ingredients (if using vegetables for the savory fondue, cook them first as you'll just be dipping)

Savory:
The base: White wine + garlic + grated Gruyere + grated Jarlsberg (add cheese gradually and stir constantly so it melts together)
The dipping goods: Roasted mushrooms, steamed cauliflower, toasted baguette, green apple chunks

Sweet:
The base: Heavy cream + chopped 45% dark chocolate + chopped 85% dark chocolate (add all chocolate shavings at once so they melt evenly)
The dipping goods: Blackberries, strawberries, bananas, home baked cream puffs (amazing)

(Photos courtesy of Mehul, thanks!)