Seafood Bouillabaisse Fondue

1. Put the oil in the fondue pot and set to Setting 4½. Once oil is hot, add the garlic, fennel and leek. Cook until softened, about 1 to 2 minutes Add the mussels, orange peel, saffron, wine and Pernod to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mussels have fully opened, about 4 to 8 minutes.

2. Remove mussels and reserve, removing an mussels that did not open. Add the salt, tomato, tomato paste, basil and water. Increase the temperature to Setting 6 to bring to a boil. Once boiling, decrease to Setting 3½ to maintain a simmer. Allow to simmer for about 10 minutes to allow flavors to meld.

3. While broth is cooking, remove the mussels from their shells; discard shells.

4. After broth has simmered, remove basil.  To serve, skewer shrimp, scallops or mussels onto fondue forks and dip into simmering broth. Cook shrimp and scallops until they are firm, but not tough (about 3 to 5 minutes).  Cook mussels just to heat through. This broth is also delicious with crusty French bread.

*Fresh mussels should have tightly closed shells when purchased, or those that are slightly opened should close shut when tapped. Discard any mus- sels that do not close. Store in refrigerator until ready to use. To clean mussels, place in a bowl of cold water with about ¼ cup of cornmeal, swirl gently, and let stand for 20 minutes – this will help the mussels to expel any sandy grit. Remove the “beard” by pulling on the threads that are coming out of the shell. Lift out of the water, leaving the cornmeal and grit in the bottom of the bowl, and dry on several layers of paper towels before cooking.