Main Dish

Easy Cheese Fondue

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Easy Cheese Fondue

Easy, cheesy fondue is the perfect fun night in dinner!

New Years Eve is highly overrated! There, I said it! The best NYE celebrations have been spent at home, eating and drinking with friends and family, ringing in the new years in comfy clothes, playing games, and staying off the roads.
 
Since we’ll all be staying home this year, I’m sharing our tradition of New Years Eve fondue! Now is the time to break open the fondue pot you registered for but have never used. You’ll definitely want to use an electric fondue pot to control the temperature. I highly recommend the Cuisinart Electric Fondue Pot. We skipped this tradition last year as we were out of town and seriously missed it. Excited to fire it back up this year!
 
We keep it pretty simple with making one type of cheese fondue and a few different dippers. This keeps things manageable and is the perfect amount of tiny people with hot, sharp forks
Easy Cheesy Fondue 2

Important Notes:

Pre-shredded cheese is important in this recipe to prevent the cheese from clumping and to thicken the fondue. If you are shredding your own cheese, toss 1-2 TBS of flour or cornstarch in with your cheese before adding to the fondue.

Remember not to eat directly off the fondue fork! Make sure everyone has their own small plate in front of them. A helpful tip if you’re feeding littles is to match the color of their side plate with the color of their fondue fork.
 
We serve this meal on our kitchen peninsula for 2 reasons:
  1. There’s a plug for the fondue pot and we don’t have to worry about anyone tripping on the cord. If you serve on a table, watch your cords! 
  2. Anytime we eat somewhere different than the kitchen table, it’s exciting for my kiddo!
While much of the alcohol from the beer will cook out, feel free to sub chicken or vegetable broth for the beer. It will alter the taste a bit, however is still delicious! 
 
One pot is enough for a family of 4-6 people and our favorite dippers are bread, apples and smoked sausage. Cube whatever you’d like up into bite sizes pieces. There are lots of ideas listed below, pick your favorites!
 
Our favorite dippers are:
Bread!
  • French or Italian
  • Rye or Pumpernickel
  • Soft Pretzels
  • Sourdough Bread – where are my Sourdough bakers from quarantine at?!!? 
Meats
  • Smoked sausage (feel free to use beef, pork, turkey or chicken, just ensure it’s fully cooked!)
  • Fully cooked chicken, steak or pork
  • Salami, pepperoni, etc.
Fruit
  • Apples – Granny Smith are our favorite!
  • Pears 
Veggies (lightly steam when it makes sense) 
  • broccoli or cauliflower
  • asparagus
  • potatoes (baby/fingerling)
  • bell peppers
  • pickle

Happy New Year! Enjoy your fun fondue night in!

Easy Cheese Fondue 3

Easy Cheese Fondue

Easy, cheesy fondue that's perfect for a fun night in!

Course Main Course
Cuisine American, French
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  • 1 cup light or lager style beer
  • 2 tsp garlic, minced (1-2 cloves)
  • 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, pre-shredded
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly cracked
  • 1/2 tsp mustard, ground
  • Assorted dippers (bread, fruit, meats, etc.)

Instructions

  1. In a pot on the stove over medium-high heat, add the beer and minced garlic.

  2. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce heat and add pre-packaged shredded cheese by the handful, mixing with a fork, until the cheese melts into a smooth consistency.

  3. When all the cheese has been added and melted, remove from heat and add Worcestershire sauce, black pepper and ground mustard.

  4. Stir then transfer to fondue pot. Serve with assorted dippers

Recipe Notes

Use pre-shredded cheese as it helps prevent clumping and thickens the fondue. If you shred your own, toss the cheese in 1-2 TBS all-purpose flour or cornstarch before adding to fondue.

While much of the alcohol from the beer will cook off, feel free to substitute an equal amount of chicken or vegetable broth. 

Cook on the stovetop first as it's easier to control heat on the stove, then transfer into a fondue pot. 

Side plates are important so hot forks don't go into mouths! 

Our favorite dippers are french and pumpernickel bread, green apple, and smoked sausage. 

Here are additional family-friendly ideas to help make the everyday special!

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