Cheese Fondue

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How to make a hot and delicious classic cheese fondue! It’s so much easier than you think to make and is pretty much guaranteed to always be the hit of the party!

For a sweeter twist, why not make a Chocolate Fondue!

Cheese Fondue

Fondue is just one of those magical terms that everyone immediately starts salivating the moment they hear it.

What could be better than hot, melty, and rich cheese with all kinds of random tasty things dipped into it?

While most people think of fondue as something that you can only get at fancy restaurants, it is actually so easy to make at home – it just requires a little bit of prep and the right ingredients to make a truly delicious cheese fondue sauce to share with friends and family.                                                             

Cheese Fondue Ingredients

Make sure you look at the recipe card at the very bottom for the exact amounts so that you know exactly what to buy for this recipe.

• Shredded Swiss cheese

• Shredded Gruyere cheese

• Cornstarch

• Dry mustard

• Black pepper

• White wine, light beer, or chicken broth

• Lemon juice

• Garlic

• Nutmeg

• Salt to taste

Dipping Foods

• Cubes of bread

• Pretzels

• Bacon

• applies slice

• Garlic sausage slices

• Cornichons

How To Make Cheese Fondue

• In a large bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, dry mustard, and pepper

• Add in the grated cheese, tossing to coat with the cornstarch mixture

• In a medium saucepan or fondue pot, add the wine, lemon juice, and garlic

• Bring to a simmer over medium heat, and then add in a handful of cheese mixture, stirring until incorporated

• Repeat until all the cheese has melted in

• If the mixture is too thick, add more wine

• Add in nutmeg and salt as desired

• Transfer to a fondue pot to keep it warm, serving it with the prepared foods and fondue forks

How To Avoid Your Cheese Sauce “Breaking”

The biggest issue when making any kind of cheese sauce, whether for fondue or for mac & cheese, is trying to avoid the sauce breaking.

Breaking is the term for when the cheese emulsion breaks down, and the fat begins to seep out. You will know your sauce is broken when there is a layer of viscous yellow or white fat clinging to the top of the sauce.

Not only is it unpleasant, but it also ruins the flavor and texture of the sauce, so how do you avoid it breaking.

The trick with keeping a cheese sauce from breaking is two important secrets; don’t overheat the cheese and use some kind of starch.

Overheating the cheese is a common mistake with cheese sauces, and it can be easily avoided by making sure that the liquid base is not at a rolling boil when you add your cheese. Keep the heat at a low simmer, and add your cheese a little bit at a time, mixing to incorporate fully in-between each addition.

To really help keep your sauce stable, you can use some starch – in this recipe; I recommend using cornstarch. Not only will the cornstarch mixture help to thicken your sauce, but the starches actually act as a binding agent for the fat within the cheese.

The starch helps keep everything stable and hold together, ensuring that it shouldn’t break.

Combine these two tips, and you should have no worry of a broken sauce whatsoever.

What To Serve With Your Cheese Fondue

After avoiding the cheese sauce breaking, the hardest part of any fondue recipe is figuring out what to serve with it.

There are all sorts of delicious things you can serve with your fondue, but all require their own little bit of prep, and some flavors can actually contrast with one another if you aren’t careful.

• A good mainstay is something starchy and solid, like cubes of crusty bread. Alongside that, you will need something salty, like pretzels, saltine crackers, or even Ritz crackers.
• From there, you can literally do anything you like! Garlic sausage works wonderfully, as does little slices of bacon.
• Don’t forget to include something a little bit sweet and refreshing, such as apple slices, sweet pickles or slices of cucumber. Not only do they pair well with the fondue, but their freshness and slight acidity help to contrast and brighten all of the other flavors in your dipping foods.

Looking for more delicious Dinner recipes? Try these out:

• The Best Beer Can Chicken Recipe – Mesquite Smoked!

• Classic American Goulash

• Buttery Garlic & Herb Chicken and Potatoes

Enjoy!

Love,

Karlynn

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