Blue Cheese Fondue
To vary the texture and flavor, replace ½ pound of the soft blue cheese with a hard cheese such as Cheddar or Gruyère.
INGREDIENTS | SERVES 4
- 1 pound blue cheese
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 loaf French bread
- 1 cup milk
- 6 ounces cooked ham
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon sour cream
Crumble the blue cheese and set aside. Cut the French bread into cubes and thinly slice the ham.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat and stir in the flour. Slowly add the milk, stirring.
Add the crumbled blue cheese, a handful at a time. Stir the cheese continually in a bowtie or sideways figure eight pattern. Wait until the cheese is completely melted before adding more. Don't allow the cheese to boil.
When the cheese is melted, turn the heat up until it is just bubbling and starting to thicken. Stir in the nutmeg and paprika. Transfer to a fondue pot and set on the burner. Just before serving, swirl in the sour cream. Serve with the French bread cubes for dipping and eat with the ham slices.
Cutting Cheese
The harder the cheese, the more finely it needs to be cut. Be sure to finely dice hard cheeses like Emmenthal and Gruyère. Semisoft cheeses like Havarti can be diced less finely or cubed, while soft cheeses will crumble easily. Fondue cheese can also be coarsely grated or shredded. However, don't grate too thinly or the cheese will form clumps in the fondue. Be sure to use the coarse edge of a cheese grater.
