Our New Year’s Day tradition is to have a fondue party. I tend to go back and forth between a traditional Swiss Fondue and a Cheddar Fondue, but my second daughter Joy had been asking me for a full year if we could have a Pepper Jack Fondue. Pepper Jack is hands down her favorite cheese. So in her honor I made this delicious spicy cheese fondue.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups Pepper Jack Cheese, shredded
1 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1 Tablespoon flour
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/8 Teaspoon Cayenne pepper
2 Tablespoons chopped jalapeno peppers (I used pickled.)
1 garlic glove to season the pot
Get the kids helping grate that cheese! Joy always has fun helping in the kitchen!
Toss the cheese with the flour. I always use flour though I think you can substitute cornstarch if you want. The flour aids in thickening the cheese and making it the right consistency without it being lumpy. If you use a package of pregrated cheese, you don’t need to add the flour as it is already tossed with something to keep it from caking.
I love making my fondue at the table. It just seems right, but it is probably faster to make it on the stove and then transfer it. For the cheese fondue I use the double boiler. Heat the water until steam is streaming out. Season the pot with a garlic clove cut in half. Then add the wine. (While our family does not drink alcohol we do cook with it.)
When the wine is hot begin adding the cheese by handfuls and whisking and melting the cheese each time.
When all the cheese is melted, add the cayenne pepper. Stir and then garnish with the chopped jalapeno peppers.
Enjoy! Our dippers of choice this year were sausage, homemade bread, broccoli, and apples. My pepper jack loving girl was in heaven. She thought it was perfect. Me? I like things very spicy and always choose “hot” when there is an option. I thought the fondue was very mild. If I were just making it for me, I would double the cayenne pepper and mix chopped jalapeno peppers inside, besides just the ones garnished on top. But my entire family was able to enjoy this so to accommodate a wide range of pallets this was perfect.
Happy New Year! In May. Yeah. 🙂
Can everyone reach the pot to dip? How do you manage that? The only time I ever had fondue was when you took me to the special restaurant. My favorite was the chocolate! I do love cheese, though, and I think I would like it the way Joy does. In spite of all my years in Mexico, a little chili goes a long way with me.
Everyone just reaches. Bobby is the only one that couldn’t. We just grabbed his for him. I do keep saying we need a second pot though. I really want another one! 🙂 Yes, Joy takes after you.