Cheddar Fondue

[Lilija]

I'm having a small, informal gathering tomorrow night, and due to the snow, I can't get a solid number of people that are coming over, somewhere between 8 and 14, so I figured what better way to feed a varying number of people stumbling in at all hours of the evening. Everyone's bringing different beers to try, so I figured a uniting sort of meal that would go with almost any beer would be a cheddar/hard cider fondue.

Here's what I have for dippers already:

An assortment of breads, I'll see what looks good at the bakery tomorrow, but probably sourdough, pumpernickel, and maybe something crusty

Kobanosa (which is a thin, double smoked, half dried Polish sausage, also called "TV Kielbasa" for it's snackability)

various cornichons and olives

apples

grapes

soft pretzels

raw veggies (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower) I'm considering blanching these.

After that, I'm kind of blanking out. I want more on the table. I need more ideas for things to dip. It can be wacky, but this crowd is not up for gastronomic challenges, for the most part.

[TeakettleSlim]

Roasted potatoes, butternut squash. Pears might be nice, too, but maybe the cheddar would overpower them.

[Carolyn Tillie]

I pan-roast (in duck fat) fingerling potatoes, large mushrooms, and oven-roasted artichoke hearts (Trader Joe's sells them frozen).

[Lilija]

Oh, those all sound good! Pears, roasted potatoes, artichoke hearts, and mushrooms would all really round things out. I might even have some duck fat in the freezer left over from the holidays. I can't believe I didn't think of potatoes, of all things.

[andiesenji]

What about one or two flatbreads? I much prefer these for dipping in cheese fondue. I usually have a crisp type (Nordic or Swedish rye), pita, cut into strips or triangles, lavash, which is thicker than the pita or focaccia which is still thicker and crustier.

I also usually make a batch of corn sticks and they often are the first to go.

Edited January 20, 2011 by andiesenji (log)

[Beebs]

Cubes of turkey or chicken breast.

Meatballs.

Tortellini, gnocchi.

Brussels sprouts.

Cocktail weiners.

Mmmmm...your hard cider fondue sounds really tasty!

[HungryC]

Grissini, tiny broiled meatballs, chunks of roasted turkey, whole grape or small cherry tomatoes, pickled peppadews or jalapenos....or bacon: cook thick-cut half-strips, threaded onto skewers. Mmm...cheddar & bacon.

[Emily_R]

Hi there --

Nothing to add about what to dip in the fondue, bur just wanted to provide a link to what was the best fondue I've ever had -- a cheddar and whiskey fondue...

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/whiskey-cheese-fondue

SO good.

Emily

[judiu]

Juicy, sweet, ripe pineapple!

[LizD518]

We do an Irish Cheddar fondue at work and serve the following:

IRISH CHEDDAR AND STOUT FONDUE

baby red potatoes, brussel spouts, grilled apple chips, cauliflower florets,

caramelized leeks, roasted carrots and turnips, grilled lamb, toasted soda bread

[Lilija]

Hi there --

Nothing to add about what to dip in the fondue, bur just wanted to provide a link to what was the best fondue I've ever had -- a cheddar and whiskey fondue...

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/whiskey-cheese-fondue

SO good.

Emily

What a great idea! That looks nearly the same as my own recipe, but sub in hard cider for the wine, and a few tablespoons of concentrated apple juice for the whiskey...now you have my gears turning, what if I subbed in the whiskey for the apple juice concentrate? That could be incredible.... It's like..all my favorite things in the universe, all melted together.

As far as all the other replies, everything here sounds totally spot on. I don't think I could get every single suggestion on my table, but if this goes over well, it could potentially become a 'thing' and...all these ideas are going to get used, I'm sure. Keep em coming!

Every reply is pure concentrated genius. I love this forum.

Edited January 20, 2011 by Lilija (log)

[DanM]

I would not be surprised if hot dogs, or better yet, pretzel dog, or corn dog bites would be quite good with a cheddar fondue.

[smallworld]

I would not be surprised if hot dogs, or better yet, pretzel dog, or corn dog bites would be quite good with a cheddar fondue.

We've done cocktail weinies with fondue, and they're great. I'd bet the corn dog bites would be good too. And this might be adding too much work, but I imagine that cornbread would be fantastic with a cheddar fondue.

[Blether]

Sliced apple. And figure out a way to serve coffee - Irish or otherwise.