A couple of weeks ago my husband and I went to Paso Robles with three other couples and had an amazing time wine tasting and dinning at restaurants that focus on farm to fork cuisine. My favorite dish of the weekend was a Goat Cheddar Cheese fondue served at a restaurant called Artisan.
The waiter at Artisan was kind enough to share the key ingredients to this very nontraditional fondue. This savory culinary surprise is made with cheddar goat cheese, 805 ale and a good roux. Because I am unable to follow any recipe exactly, I added my own little twist to this dish. I used St. Archer Pale Ale instead of 805, because that’s what I had in the refrigerator. I also added garlic and shallots to the base and a little dry mustard to the cheese. I wish I had better pictures, but I was also making chicken noodle soup at the same time and didn’t have enough time to take more. My boys and husband loved the fondue and I have to admit, it was easy to make and tasted similar to what we had in Paso Robles. A couple of tips from the cheese guys at Whole Foods….use cornstarch or one slice of processed cheese in the fondue to keep the cheese smooth and avoid the lumps.
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 shallot minced
- 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
- 1 cup St. Archer Pale Ale
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 8 oz Aged goat cheddar grated
- 8 oz Emmentaler cheese grated
- Serve with:
- Carrots and asparagus roasted with oil and salt(375 for 7 minutes)
- Broccolini(blanched for 1 minute and then chilled in ice)
- Sausage grilled(pre cooked)
- Sour dough bread cut into bite size pieces
- Apple slices
- Melt butter on medium/low heat in medium size pan and add garlic and shallots. Cook for 5 minutes. Do not let shallots and garlic turn brown. Add flour and whisk gently for about 5-7 minutes, until your flour is cooked. Don't let the flour turn too brown, golden is good. Add the ale and cook for 3 minutes or until it gets to a simmer. Add the heavy cream slowly and then add the cheese ¼ of a cup at a time and mix until melted. Leave the cheese mixture on your stove on low and prepare your fondue set.
- Prepare Fondue Set
- Pour ¼ cup boiling water into your water bath container on your fondue set. Place the melted cheese from your pan into the fondue container(this is the container that sits on top of the water bath). Turn on or heat your fondue set.
- Begin dipping and enjoy!
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