Easy Cheese Fondue Recipes – Could They Make You the Star of the Evening?

It's sometimes hard to plan a wonderful evening with family and friends. You have to juggle with arrangements for your kids, food allergies, meal preparation and… of course you also have to make your home presentable.  Fortunately, easy cheese fondue recipes can help.

As long as none of your guests are lactose intolerant, cheese fondue can be the answer you were looking for.  Now that fall has officially arrived, you can share this delicious appetizer (or main entrée if you wish) with your best friends, your family or your special someone.

Cheese fondue recipes originated from Switzerland many years ago and to this day, the best cheese fondue recipes are still made with Swiss cheeses.  That being said, there are several variations of cheese fondues, and you should be able to find one that meets your needs and satisfies the taste buds of everyone at the table.  Well known varieties include Italian, tomato based cheese fondue, creamy seafood and cheese fondue as well as mushroom and cheese fondue.

The two most common types of cheeses used in cheese fondue are Emmenthal, Gruyere and Apenzeller.  Traditionally, white wine and Kirsch (fruit brandy) are added to the melted cheese mix.

To make your fondue night a hit, make sure to tell your guests not to snack ahead of time.  You should have French baguettes and steamed vegetables available for dippers but you can also try cooked sausage, cooked shrimp, cherry tomatoes and anything else that tastes great with cheese. 

Here is a typical recipe for cheese fondue.

1 garlic clove, cut in half
2 cups white wine
1 tbsp lemon juice
¾ lb Gruyere cheese, shredded
½ lb Emmenthal cheese, shredded
6 oz Apenzeller cheese, shredded
4 tbsp Kirsch
1 tsp cornstarch
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp nutmeg
pepper

1. Rub garlic inside the fondue pot then discard.

2. Pour the white wine and lemon juice into the pot and turn on the burner.

3. Let the wine and lemon juice warm up without boiling.

4. Reduce heat and add the shredded cheese, one handful at a time.

5. With a wooden spoon, mix well and stir regularly.

6. Add remaining ingredients.

7. Add pepper to taste.

8. If the mixture is too hard, add warm wine. If the mixture is too soft, add cheese.

9. Dip bite size pieces of bread or steamed vegetables.

If you or your guests are having fondue for the first time, make sure to inform them about the “no double-dipping” rule.  You should also let your dippers cool off for a few seconds before putting them in your mouth.

If you want to make your fondue night even more interesting, use these traditional rules:

* If a woman drops her dipper in the cheese mix, she has to kiss the first man on her left.

* If a man drops his dipper in the cheese mix, he has to buy (or refill) a round of drinks for everyone at the table.

Obviously, you can make your own rules to make the evening more enjoyable.  The important thing to remember is to be safe since a pot of hot, melted cheese is between everyone at the table and there is an open flame underneath the pot. 

Be safe and enjoy delicious and easy cheese fondue recipes.  To try other variation of cheese fondue recipes such as Italian, seafood, mushroom and beer and cheese fondue, visit http://www.BestFondue.com.