Tasty Tuesday- Cheesy Cheese Fondue!
Ever since I tried Cheese Fondue at BierMarkt in Ottawa, I have been hooked! Never having made fondue aside from chocolate, I ran to Pinterest for inspiration! There are so many ways to make Cheese Fondue and I had no idea what I was getting myself into, thank goodness for Pinterest! One site that I was sent to was Tori Avey. She had a whole page on “How to Make the Perfect Cheese Fondue” and I found it so helpful because I wanted my recipe to be family friendly and NOT include alcohol!
I like to change up the cheese I use each time. I usually stick to at least some Aged Cheddar and Gouda. The higher the age of the cheddar, the sharper the taste and I tried smoked Gouda once and it was FABULOUS! The beauty of fondue is switching up the flavour is super easy just by changing the cheese! This time around I used a little bit of garden vegetable Havarti with the other cheeses and it gave it just enough extra flavour, plus little man didn’t even complain that there was little bits of veggies in it 😉
When shredding the cheese make sure you leave the softer (Gouda & Havarti) cheeses in the fridge while you are shredding the Cheddar as it will just crumble if it’s too soft!
For your dipping items, this is where you have LOTS of freedom! My Little Man LOVES to dip apples and tortilla chips and occasionally his croissant in the fondue. We always have a nice crusty bread and recently started using potato wedges or large cut fries but fresh taters would work too! Broccoli and cauliflower also taste incredible in the cheese, just make sure they aren’t over cooked or the fall apart on you 😉
When you are melting your cheese, make sure you only put small amounts into the milk each time. You want each handful melted before putting in the next. If you don’t do this, it will take you forever to melt the cheese and there is a good chance the cheese at the bottom of the pot will burn. You want a nice smooth but not to runny consistency and if you find it just isn’t getting thick enough, add cornstarch just a little sprinkle at a time until you get it just right!
We absolutely love eating this meal! Even with the prep, shredding and chopping, this meal can easily come together in about 30 mins. Kids love feeling part of the cooking process while eating the cheese fondue and you can mix it up based on food you know they will eat or flavours the love! If you give this a try let me know what you (and your kiddos!) think! Cheese Fondue is now a weekly event, maybe it can become yours too!
- 1 Cup Milk
- 2 tbsp Cornstarch (or flour if that’s what you have on hand!)
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice or fresh squeeze of lemon
- Shredded Cheese- I use about 1.5 cups of aged cheddar, Havarti and Gouda mixed together
- Dipping items chopped: apples, veggies, bread, tortilla chips
- Slowly bring your milk and lemon juice to a light boil, whisking in the cornstarch as you go.
- Once it has started to boil, slowly add in your shredded cheese, one handful at a time. Do not toss it all in at once or it will not melt evenly.
- Whisk until smooth.
- Transfer to your fondue/crock pot and keep on heat.
- Dip your various chopped veggies, fruit, and bread into your fondue and enjoy!
