There’s really nothing better than melted cheese mixed with *bacon* and beer in this Cheddar Beer Fondue.  Add a few spices and heat it all up until hot and bubbly. Oh Yeah!

About Fondue:

The word “fondue” literally means “melted.” Traditionally it’s a melted Swiss cheese dip served in a warming pot, with long-handled forks used to dip bread into the cheese. It’s believed that the Swiss invented fondue, making good use of aged cheese, stale bread and wine. Nowadays, people experiment with using different cheeses and substituting things like beer for the wine, as is the case in this recipe for Cheddar Beer Fondue.

Ingredients needed:

• bacon
• extra-sharp cheddar cheese
• all-purpose flour
• beer
• dry mustard
• Worcestershire sauce
• freshly ground black pepper

What’s the best beer to use for fondue?

Go with a beer that is light on hops and not too bitter. Try using a pilsner lager or a Belgian ale. Avoid sour or fruity beers.

How to make Cheddar Beer Fondue:

The first thing to do is cook the bacon. While that’s cooking, you can get the rest of the fondue ready. Shredded cheese and flour are tossed together. And then beer, dry mustard and Worcestershire sauce are brought to a boil in a saucepan. The cheese/flour are whisked in until melted and smooth. The cooked bacon and freshly ground black pepper are added last, and then it’s ready to serve. Use a fondue pot, mini crock, warming bowl or bread bowl for serving.

The Best Melting Cheeses to use for Fondue:

Cheddar works just fine, and it’s easy to find in your market and fairly affordable too. It’s easy to substitute another kind, if desired. Use any of the following cheeses listed for fondue. They’re all good melting cheeses. The best decision is to use a combination of these cheeses, for the most interesting flavor!

• Raclette
• Emmentaler
• Cheddar (yellow or white)
• Fontina
• Gruyere
• Gouda (or smoked Gouda)
• Colby
• Jarlsberg

What can you use to dip into cheese fondue?

This Cheddar Beer Fondue recipe calls for using chunks of bread and sliced apples for dipping. There are many possibilities for dunking things into fondue!

Try using soft pretzels, pickled garden vegetables, roasted Brussels sprouts, whole fresh mushrooms, broccoli or cauliflower florets (lightly steamed or raw), bell pepper strips, charred shishito peppers, cherry tomatoes, carrots, and steamed new potatoes or roasted potato wedges. For meat, consider sliced German sausages, cubes of cooked ham, cooked meatballs or smoked turkey. 

Tips for making the best fondue:

• If you don’t have a fondue pot, a small crock set on “warm” works well.
• If you are using vegetables (or apples) as dunkers, make sure they are completely dry when set out for dunking or the cheese will not adhere to the vegetable.
• Is your dip too thick? Thin it out with a little bit of milk or cream.

This Cheddar Beer Fondue is a great recipe to make and serve for New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. It’s great comfort food to use for sitting around for dipping and enjoying all of that rich, melted cheese. Super Bowl Sunday and St. Patrick’s Day are more celebration days to serve fondue. Enjoy!

Here are a few more recipes using beer that you might like to try:

• Beer Marinated Chicken Tacos
• Spicy Beer Pickles
• Beer Puffs with Corned Beef Filling
• Beef and Dark Beer Chili
• Beer Battered Fish Tacos with Baja Sauce
• Italian Beer Bread
• Beer Can Chicken
• Easy Beer Cheese Spread

 

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