Recipes by Dorothy Mercer: Fondue Polaris; Meatloaf Mercer

Dorothy Mercer was a professional snowmobile racer.

Dorothy Mercer's Fondue Polaris

1/2 lb. Emmental cheese
1/2 lb. Gruyere cheese
3 tbsps. flour
2 loaves Italian (or French) bread
1 clove garlic
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 tbsp. lemon juice
Pepper, nutmeg to taste
3 tbsps. Kirschwasser

Grate, shred or dice cheese in advance. Store in tightly-closed plastic bag in refrigerator until ready to use. Dredge cheese with flour. Cut bread into 1-inch cubes. Each cube should have crust on one side. (Bread can
prepared in advance and kept in a closed plastic bag.) Rub inside of fondue pot with cut garlic clove. Discard garlic. Place pot on stove. Pour wine into pot. Heat over medium flame until wine is warm but not boiling.

Add lemon juice and cheese by handfuls, stirring constantly with wooden spoon until cheese is melted and cheese-wine mixture has the appearance of a light cream sauce. Add pepper and nutmeg to taste. Let boil once. Add Kirschwasser, stir briefly to blend. Remove pot from stove and place pot on lighted burner at serving table. Adjust flame of burner so fondue continues to bubble lightly.

Serve each guest a handful of bread cubes from bread plate (or bread basket). Spear prongs of fork through bread, crustless part first, securing prongs in crust. Dunk and stir well in bubbling sauce. Remove fork and twist over pot to remove surplus fondue on bread. Makes 4 servings or 15-20 snack servings.

For other dunkables: Bread is the traditional fondue dunkable; however, for delicious variations use cubed ham, smoked sausage (cut in chunks), shrimp, whole mushrooms or "fruity" tidbits: melon balls, apple and pear slices, and grapes. Adjust seasonings to complement dunkable -- for example, blend curry into bubbling fondue to complement smoked turkey or chicken.

Thoughts: Cheese combinations for fondué can be an art in itself. Dorothy prefers imported Swiss cheese (Emmental, Gruyere, Appenzeller, Raclette, Belsano) available in specialty cheese and gourmet shops. Good grade American Swiss or Gruyere make good substitutes for the fondue.

Dorothy Mercer's Meatloaf Mercer

1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
1/3 cup milk (or beef broth)
1 1/2 cups soft bread crumbs (or herb-flavored Italian bread crumbs)
1 small yellow onion, peeled, chopped
1/2 tsp. ground sage (or oregano)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 egg, beaten
Worcestershire sauce to taste
1/2 cup chili sauce

Combine beef, milk (or beef broth), bread crumbs, onion and sage (or oregano). Mix well with fork (or hands). Add salt and pepper to taste. Blend in beaten egg and Worcestershire sauce. Shape into loaf in shallow baking dish lined with aluminum foil. Pour chili sauce over loaf. Bake in preheated 350 degrees F. oven for 1 hour (or until meat is done). Serve with baked potatoes and nice green vegetable (peas or beans). Serves 4.