Fondue Night - The Cheese Course

Last night Jason and I hosted a few friends for a fondue night. Jason and I had made the cheese course, and chocolate course before with great success. I had never made the meat course, court bouillon style is our favorite, so I decided to invite some company and see what happened. I don't think it could've gone any better or that the food could've tasted any better. Jason and I go to the Melting Pot every year for our anniversary, and I honestly don't know if we'll need to go back, because the food tasted every bit as good for half the price, although it was a bit of work.

I use an individual hot plate and sauce pans for my fondue, because it's easier to control the heat, and I can switch out the pans with ease. I picked up a set of skewers at Goodwill a few months ago. I don't know how they got separated from their fondue pot, but it was nowhere in site, so I didn't feel bad swiping them - well it felt like a steal at $2 for 11 skewers. I picked up 6 more from the Pampered Chef outlet. So we were good to go.

I did all sorts of web searches to find just the right recipes. After testing them out, I'm ready to share. Let's start with the cheese! I believe this recipe was posted on a message board, sorry I didn't save the link and don't know if I could find it again. I edited it a bit to give more precise measurements and instructions:

Cheddar Cheese Fondue

(Courtesy of the Melting Pot)

a very simple fondue recipe shared by the melting pot on an early morning talk show!

Serves 2 (double and triple as needed)

Fondue:

4 ounces beer (I used cheap Miller Lite - tasted fabulous)

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

4 oz. cheddar cheese

1 Tablespoon Corn Starch

Five turns of pepper

3 shakes mustard powder

3-4 shakes Worcestershire sauce

Dippers:

any sort of yummy bread

celery

apples

whatever else sounds good

Directions:
In a small saucepan (for 2 servings)

start with 4 oz of base beer over medium heat

add garlic

add 3 shakes of mustard powder and stir

mix cheese with 1 Tablespoon of corn starch

add small amount of cheddar cheese mixture to pan

mix thoroughly (using figure eight motion until cheese is melted)

keep adding cheese until it reaches desired consistency – like ooey gooey melted cheesy goodness

add five turns of pepper grinder

add three to four shakes of Worcestershire sauce and stir

serve in fondue pot, or saucepan over hot plate on low

dip to your heart's (and stomach's) delight