Rachael's Daytime Talk Show
German Cheese & Beer Fondue -- 10/03/07

German Cheese & Beer Fondue

Ingredients

  • 6 slices center-cut bacon, chopped
  • 6 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 5 ounces smoked Gruyere cheese, shredded
  • 5 ounces smoked Swiss cheese, shredded
  • 1 rounded tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cup German lager beer
  • 2 tablespoons hot and sharp mustard
  • A few drops hot sauce
  • A few drops Worcestershire sauce
  • For Dipping:
  • Cubed or thickly sliced browned wursts: knock, brat or brot
  • 1 head cauliflower, separated into florets
  • 1 small jar mini Gherkin pickles, drained
  • 1 small jar pickled onions, available on vegetable aisle
  • 1 small, round loaf rye, pumpernickel or sour dough bread, cubed

Yields: 4 servings

Preparation

Heat a small skillet over medium heat with 1 turn of the pan of vegetable oil. Once hot, add the chopped bacon and cook, stirring every now and then until crispy. Remove from the skillet, drain on a paper towel-lined plate and reserve.

Bring 1 inch water to boil in a large skillet and add wursts or mini franks of choice. Boil 5 minutes, drain and brown in 1 tablespoon butter to crisp casings.

Bring a second pan with a couple inches of water to a boil and blanch the cauliflower a minute or so and drain.

Combine cheeses in a bowl with the flour. Add beer to a small pot and bring up to a bubble over medium heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the cheese in batches. Stir in a figure-eight pattern with wooden spoon. When all the cheese has been incorporated fully, stir in the mustard, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Transfer fondue to warm fondue pot and sprinkle the top with the reserved bacon.

To serve, arrange the wursts, cauliflower, pickles, onions, cubed bread and smoked almonds around the fondue pot and dig in!