Switzerland Swiss Cheese Fondue

1 lb Swiss cheese, shredded (we usually use 1/2 Emmental, 1/2 Gruyere)

3 TBS flour

1 clove garlic

2 cups dry white wine

1 TBS lemon juice

2 TBS kirsch

nutmeg, salt, pepper, paprika to taste

2 large baguettes, cubed

Dredge cheese lightly in flour.

Rub cooking pot with garlic. Discard garlic. Pour in wine over medium heat. When wine is hot but not boiling, add lemon juice. Add cheese by handfuls, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until cheese is melted. Bring fondue to a bubble briefly, add kirsch and spices, stirring until blended.

Pour into fondue pot and set over a burner. (It's generally a good idea to use warm water to heat the pot first.) Serve with baguette cubes.

The recipe serves 4 - but our family of 6 easily polishes off a double batch. :)

It's tradition that if a lady loses her bread in the pot, she owes the nearest man a kiss. If a man loses his bread in the pot, he buys the next round of drinks. However, it is not good form to make anyone lose their bread!

Spring Citrus Salad

Sugared Pecans:

1/4 cup sugar

2/3 cup pecan halves

Citrus Dressing:

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup lime juice

2 TBS orange juice

2 TBS sugar

1 tsp grated lime zest

1 tsp grated orange zest

Salad:

8 cups torn leaf lettuce

8 cups torn Romaine lettuce

1 red onion, thinly sliced

1 large orange, peeled, sliced (or a can of mandarin oranges)

1 pint strawberries, sliced

2 avocados, thinly sliced

For the pecans, mix the sugar with the pecan halves in a small skillet. Cook over low heat until the sugar melts, stirring to coat the pecans well. Spread on foil and cool; break pecans apart.

For the dressing, combine ingredients in an airtight jar and shake well. Chill until serving time.

For the salad, combine all ingredients except avocados and toss gently. Chill until serving time. Add the avocados just before serving and drizzle with the dressing. Toss gently. Top with pecans.

4-6 servings

From "Always in Season"

Pork Tenderloin with Pomegranate Glaze

1 TBS olive oil

1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound), excess fat and silver skin removed

course salt and ground pepper

1 cup pomegranate juice

1 TBS unsulfured molasses

1/4 cup dried cranberries (the original recipe called for dried currants, but we couldn't find them. the cranberries work well. Also, I usually add more cranberries - more like 3/4 cup.)

Preheat oven to 350. In a large oven-proof skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Generously season pork with salt and pepper. Cook in skillet until browned on all sides, 6-8 minutes. Transfer skillet to oven and roast until an an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the tenderloin registers 150 (10-15 minutes). Transfer pork to a platter (reserve skillet) and tent with foil.

Return skillet to stove and add pomegranate juice, molasses, and dried cranberries to skillet and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until sauce is thickened to a glaze (5-6 minutes).

Thinly slice pork and drizzle with glaze.

Herbed Orzo

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook 1 cup orzo until al dente. Drain orzo and transfer to a bowl. Add 3 TBS chopped fresh herbs (dill, chives, cilantro or parsley) and 2 tsps fresh lemon juice. Season with coarse salt and ground pepper and toss to combine. We also like to add chopped tomatoes.

Lemonade Pie

1/2 gallon (I guess now they're selling 1.5 quarts) vanilla ice cream - softened

1 can frozen pink lemonade - softened

2 ready made graham cracker crust pie shells

Using a hand mixer, combine the ice cream and lemonade. Pour into pie shells. Freeze until set.