cheddar and stout fondue

I was commissioned to come up with a few recipes for Castle Milk Stout and this is my first. It’s a delicious local stout and I’m a huge fan of cooking and baking with booze as a key ingredient. The idea of the dark bitter flavours of the stout melting in with all that delicious salty Cheddar cheese was too good not to try.

We are now in the throes of winter so this is the time when we snuggle up and indulge in all the comfort food, but I must say this recipe does come with a warning. A lot of cheese goes in, and once its melted it’s so damn easy to consume a LOT of it. Fondue is a very social dish and gathering a few friends around a melting pot of cheese deliciousness it pretty awesome.

Bread is my favourite thing to dip into fondue but slices of apple pair well with the aged Cheddar giving a hit of fresh sweetness. Also adding crunch. The most important thing here is to choose a really good quality mature Cheddar, definitely not the rubbery yellow versions you get as an everyday staple. It simply will not melt the way it needs to. If budget allows go for something imported from Wales or England. I used the local Healey’s cheese which is a superb Cheddar that has won awards. 

Recipe – makes enough for 3 – 4 people as a snack

Cheddar & stout fondue

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 x 340ml bottle Castle Milk Stout
• 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
• 350 gm very good quality mature cheddar preferably white
• 4 tsp corn flour
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 – 2 cloves garlic crushed
• pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• pinch of black pepper
• Fresh bread and apple slices to serve

Instructions

• In a small pot bring the CMS and vinegar to the boil.
• Grate the cheddar and toss this in the corn flour to coat.
• Slowly add the cheese in parts stirring constantly and stirring well before the next addition. While you are adding the cheese, add the garlic, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, nutmeg and mustard. Continue to cook over a low heat for a couple of minutes until the sauce is smooth.
• Serve the fondue over a heated burner (low) with pieces of bread and apple slices to dip.

• Discalilmer ~ this post has been sponsored by Castle Milk Stout

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