Beer Cheese Fondue Recipe

There are few meals as fun, or as delicious, as cheese fondue. It can turn any dull gathering into one that your guests will remember. Luckily, fondue is easy to make. All you need is a stove, a pot, and a few ingredients -- and some skewers, of course.

Not only is cheese fondue easy to make and serve, it’s quick too!

Fondue was first invented in the French Rhône-Alpes by the French Swiss in the 1930s, where people made fondue with cheese and wine as a way to make it easier to eat stale bread. They would dip their old bread into the hot cheese sauce, which would soften the bread and make it more edible.

Today, fondue is recognized as a staple in Swiss cuisine and was even named a Swiss national dish by the Swiss Cheese Union in an effort to popularize Swiss cheeses.

Cheese fondue is perfect for breads, fruits, meats, and vegetables. Some of the more common foods used with cheese fondue are apples, tomatoes, bacon, steak, potatoes, broccoli, asparagus, and pasta. You can even pour your cheese fondue over a plate of pasta for a very simple mac and cheese meal.

For this recipe, make sure that you have good fondue cheese, as not every cheese will make a good end product. Swiss cheeses are the way to go. Gruyère, emmental, and raclette, are all good choices. However, if you don’t have a nice Swiss cheese handy, you can use gouda, colby, and even cheddar cheese.

Grate the cheese into a bowl, and coat it well with flour. Then, add in salt and pepper if desired.

In a pot over the stove, pour in the beer and let it simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Grate in the garlic. Pour in the cream and stir. Let simmer for another 5 minutes.

Turn off the heat, and add in the cheese. Stir slowly, letting the cheese melt. If there are any lumps that do not melt, use a blender or food processor to get rid of them, then reheat the fondue on the stove.

Transfer the fondue to a fondue pot, or to a heated serving bowl.

Fondue makes a great party meal because of its simplicity and convenience. All you need to do is put out some meat, vegetables, or fruit and some skewers and your guests can easily serve themselves. It also makes a fun family-friendly lunch or dinner.