Ahh fondue. So mid-century. So kitschy. Still so delicious. I mean come on can you have enough ways to serve cheese? (The answer to that is no. No you cannot.)
Traditionally you’d use white wine or sometimes cider. I did a blend of cider and beer as the majority of my liquid. This is a very dry cider, which I personally prefer, and I do tend to add more Sherry than normal recipes do because I like the flavor it gives. A note on Sherry, cooking Sherry has sodium so watch your other ingredients when using it. I do not typically use cooking Sherry if I have a choice.
And of course cheese. For this I used a mix of Gouda, Swiss, and Gruyere but you can use any white cheese that is going to melt well. Of course what cheese you use is going to have some impact on the flavor.
The spices are mustard powder, nutmeg, a pinch of cayenne, a pinch of MSG (optional but I use it). 1 clove of garlic (I sliced but you could also mince it).
Cornstarch is the secret here to preventing lumps.
Mix it in with the cheese.
A lot of recipes call for you to rub a garlic clove along the bottom of the pan, but that’s a bit twee for me. I just spray the pan with oil and saute for a moment. I have found that using an electric fondue pot makes this whole process far easier to produce and maintain (always had issues with the sterno!!) This is the one I use.
Add your liquid and your spices. Lemon juice is important because it drops the pH and helps make the cheese less stringy.
Warm up your liquid to about medium.
Add the cheese.
And cook until melted and gooey. Then I think you know what to do.
So delicious! The blend of beer and dry cider really makes an amazing fondue. Normally you’d use forks but it was just the two of us doing Netflix and fondue.
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Beer and Cider Fondue
Ingredients
- 1 pound Swiss Gruyere, or Gouda cheese shredded
- 1 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 garlic clove peeled
- 1/2 cup beer American Lager
- 1/2 cup hard cider
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 cup dry Sherry
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper to taste
- pinch MSG
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- Slice garlic clove and saute for a minute in a spray of oil in fondue pot over medium. Add beer, cider, sherry, spices and lemon juice and warm through. Toss cheese with corn starch, and add to warm liquid. Heat until cheese is melted.
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