I came across this recipe when a co-worker gave me back my copy of Dec '06 Fine Cooking. It thought you folks might appreciate it. It is typed the way it appeared:
Beer & Cheddar Fondue
Yields about 5 cups; serves six to eight
Amontillado, a medium-dry sherry, provides a nice contrast to the bitter beer and sharp cheddar
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
½ small yellow onion, minced (about 1/3 cup)
1 large clove garlic, minced
12 oz. Emmentaler cheese, coarsely grated (about 3 lightly packed cups)
8 oz. extra-sharp white Cheddar, coarsely grated (about 2 lightly packed cups)
4 oz. Gruyere, coarsely grated (about 1 lightly packed cups)
2 Tbs. cornstarch
1 tsp. dry mustard (such as Coleman’s)
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. caraway seeds, coarsely ground in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle
12 oz. lager-style beer, preferably Budweiser
3 Tbs. Amontillado sherry
Kosher salt
Dipping ingredients
Melt the butter in a 1 ½-2-qt flame fondue pot over medium-low heat. (If you don’t have a fondue pot that’s flameproof, use a heavy, narrow saucepan.) Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until completely soft and beginning to caramelize, 15 to 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss the Emmentaler, Cheddar, and Gruyere with the cornstarch, mustard and pepper.
Add the caraway seeds to the pot and stir to toast them slightly, about 2 minutes. Add the beer, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer to mellow the flavor of the beer, about 3 minutes.
Sprinkle the cheese mixture into the pot a large handful at a time, stirring each batch in a back and forth pattern so that the cheese doesn’t ball up as it melts. Continue adding and stirring until all of the cheese is melted, smooth, and thick, adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain barely a simmer. Stir in the sherry and season to taste with salt. (If using a saucepan, transfer the fondue to a fondue pot.) Set the fondue pot over a low flame at the table to keep it warm. Serve with the dipping ingredients.
Looking it over I wonder how it would be using a stoat or smoked gruyere?
Jim
