A friend did me a good turn and wanted to repay her in fondue, so last week I gave it a whirl. Fondue is a good example of a dish which is, at its heart, very easy and tasty too make, but which is regarded, for some reason as fancy and not something you can make at home. So I stepped up to the challenge and also decided to use beer rather than the usual wine.
After doing a bit of research I came to the conclusion that I was going to have to wing it in the beer arena as there are recipes using all kinds of styles of beer, with little agreement. So after a little shopping. I came up with the following recipe:
Cheese: Gruyere, Emmentaler, Gouda. The first two are classic fondue cheeses or the "base" and the gouda was the "fun addition"
Beer: Gouyasse Tripple. Avaliable at my local liquor shop. It was a toss up between a triple style beer ( sweet, heavy, high in alcohol) and an amber ( slightly sweet, hoppy, med alcohol). I went with the triple because its the white wine of the beer world, and so makes an appropriate substitution without venturing into hoppy territory.
Spices: Salt, Pepper, Nutmeg, Parsley
Method: Basically just melt the cheese into the beer and throw the spices in. I used a nabe pot, no need for fancy double boilers really. Any thick pot will do, just keep the heat low, stir alot, and dont burn anything. Then enjoy.
Taste: Amazing. Best fondue I have ever had. The cheese quality, and combination was good, and the beer added a wonderful sweet, spicy, umami flavor to the whole thing which just put it over the top. I had meant to have a serious conversation but completely failed as we were far to busy enjoying the deliciousness. Will be bringing this one back again soon.
-Eric
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