Simple Fall Apple Cider Cheese Fondue

The mornings and evenings are getting chillier and chillier around here and when that happens my brain immediately goes COMFORT FOOD. Joe said a few days ago remember when we could travel and we had that awesome fondue in Switzerland? Random.. it was like five years ago. But yea I never forget a good pot of melted cheese. I mean, who does? We went to this restaurant called Le Museum in Montreux, Switzerland when we were on vacation a few years back. It was dark and moody inside and we ate so much cheese it was hard to walk back to the hotel.

Nothing has every quite matched it but sometimes when I make up my own pot of fondue it still brings back the good memories. You don’t need a special fondue pot or gear especially if it’s just a handful of people. The key is to get this cooking right as you are about to eat. If the ingredients are prepped, it comes together fast.

What makes cider cheese fondue have that extra edge is the rubbing of the garlic. Smash that clove with the blunt side of the knife and rub that baby all over the inside of your pot. I prefer to use my smaller staub cast iron but you can use a regular sauce pan if you do not have cast iron. I think the cast iron keeps the fondue hotter longer.

I love crusty seedy bread with fondue but we needed to be somewhat healthy..ish? I roasted some sweet potatoes and cauliflower to go with the fondue as well as some sliced apples and it was a nice break in between just bread and cheese.

It felt a little naughty to be having cider cheese fondue during the weeknight but why not?

The recipe is simple, here is everything you need to serve:
1 garlic clove smashed
1 12oz can of hard apple cider (or sparkling apple cider) I used Virtue Cider’s in this recipe.
8oz of Gruyere cheese, shredded
8oz of Swiss cheese, shredded
8oz of sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2tbsp of corn starch
Anything you would like to dip in it (bread, apples, roasted veggies)

1. Rub your smashed garlic all over the inside of the pot. Put over a medium high heat and pour in the cider. Bring to a simmer.
2. In a large bowl toss the cheeses together and mix in the corn starch. Mixing it in with the cheese now will prevent it from clumping.
3. One handful at a tim mix in the cheese to the bubbling cider. Stir until melted and continue adding cheese until it’s all mixed in and melted.
4. Transfer to a fondue pot or keep in the cast iron pot and serve immediately.