Fondue Dippers: Bacon Wrapped Chicken with Spinach, Blanched Vegetables and Apples

Ingredients

• 0.3 cup apple brandy 
• 6 slices smoky bacon halved (recommended: Oscars from Warrensburg)
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper 
• 12  chicken tenderloins 
• 1.5 tablespoons cornstarch 
• 1.8 cups cooking wine dry white
• 0.8 pound emmentaler shredded
• 10 ounce pkt spinach frozen chopped
• 1 jar pickled cucumbers / gherkins mini drained
• 0.8 pound gruyere cheese shredded
• 1 tablespoon juice of lemon 
• 6 servings nutmeg freshly grated to taste
• 6 servings olive oil extra-virgin for drizzling
• 1  jar pickled pearl onions drained
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning 
• 1 bag pretzel rods 
• 1 bunch radishes trimmed
• 1 large pepper red seeded sliced
• 6 servings salt and pepper black freshly ground
• 1 teaspoon paprika smoked sweet
• 1  bundle white green trimmed thin
• 6 servings whole-grain diced seeded for dipping
• 1  bundle white green trimmed thin

Equipment

• bowl
• sauce pan
• oven
• pot
• sieve
• baking pan
• wooden spoon
• microwave
• kitchen towels
• tongs
• broiler pan

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Defrost spinach in microwave.
3. Drizzle a little oil on large plate and have a rack sitting on baking a sheet or slotted broiler pan nearby. Halve the bacon across and reserve on a meat-safe prep board. Halve the chicken tenders and slide into the dish with olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, poultry seasoning and paprika. Wring out the spinach in a clean dish towel and put the spinach in a small dish. Top each piece of chicken with a little spinach and wrap with bacon. Arrange, seem side down, on the baking pan.
4. Bake until golden and firm, 18 to 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, bring a few inches of salted water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Have a large bowl of ice water, for shocking the vegetables, ready as well.
6. Add the radishes to the boiling water and blanch for 1 minute, then remove them and shock in ice water. Repeat with the pepper removing them with tongs or small strainer or spider.
7. Add the asparagus and cook until crisp-tender, about 2 to 3 minutes, then shock and reserve.
8. If using fresh onions, add last and cook for 3 minutes to loosen skins. Shock them and use a towel to wipe away the skins.
9. Arrange the meat, vegetables and pretzels around a fondue pot and serve with cubed bread in a basket.
10. Put the wine in a fondue pot and bring to a bubble over medium heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer.
11. Add the lemon juice, then add the cheeses in handfuls, stirring in a figure-8 motion with wooden spoon. When the cheese is fully melted, stir the cornstarch into the brandy, in a small bowl until smooth, then add to cheese. Season with nutmeg and cayenne and serve over a warming station for your fondue pot.