Fondue

Who doesn’t love dipping bread into melted cheese?

We had a block of Jarlsberg cheese that came in a great gift basket we received as a “congratulations on your baby” gift so we decided to make a traditional cheese fondue for dinner this weekend. Jarlsberg cheese is a mild, buttery, nutty, cheese from Norway, we mixed in a little Swiss cheese as well. We pulled the recipe from this great fondue recipe book we have: Fondue by Rick Rodgers. It has all sorts of traditional cheese fondue recipes as well as fried fondue (cooking ingredients in hot oil), Asian hot pot (cooking ingredients in hot broth), and of course dessert fondue! I highly recommend it for all fondue enthusiasts – you will make great use of your fondue pot!

Classic Swiss Fondue
from Fondue by Rick Rodgers

1 garlic clove, peeled
1 C dry white wine
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
5 ½ C, shredded.Suggested Gruyere, Emmentaler, Appenzeller
4 Tsp cornstarch
1 Tbs kirsch
A few gratings of fresh nutmeg
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Rub the inside of a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan with the garlic; discard the garlic. Add the wine and lemon juice and bring to a bare simmer over medium heat.

In a medium bowl, toss the cheeses with the cornstarch. A handful at a time, stir the cheese mixture into the wine, stirring the first batch until it is almost completely melted before adding another. The fondue can bubble gently, but do not boil. Stir in the kirsch and season with the nutmeg and pepper.

Transfer to a cheese fondue pot and keep warm over a fondue burner. Serve immediately with dipping ingredients.

Suggested items to dip:
French bread
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Baby carrots
Chicken

Enjoy!