Gruyere Cheese Fondue

It seems like something as simple as wine and cheese blended together and placed in a pot over a flame would be easy smeasy.  I honestly thought that fondue pots had become "in" again and it would a breeze to pick up one and proceed as planned.  Wrong.  Apparently fondue pots are not "in" in this area.  After spending the morning and most of the afternoon on the Quest for the Fondue Pot, I admitted defeat and decided that the Winter Olympics would not be enjoyed with a pot of melted cheese.  But thank goodness my niece read my plea on Facebook and offered to loan me hers for the Chez Lolly Fondue experiment.

1 clove garlic, cut in half

1 cup dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc)

1 T lemon juice

4 cups shredded Gruyere cheese (you can certainly use Swiss cheese in a pinch)

3 T all purpose flour

1/8 t. freshly ground black pepper

1/8 t. ground nutmeg

1 t. Dijon mustard

Rub inside of heavy saucepan with garlic, discard garlic.  Add wine and cook over medium high heat until hot, but not boiling  Add lemon juice.

Dredge cheese in flour.  Gradually add cheese to saucepan about 1/2 cup at a time.  Stir constantly in a figure 8 pattern with a wooden spoon until melted and smooth.

Stir in pepper, nutmeg and mustard.  Bring almost to a boil, stirring gently and pour into fondue pot.   Keep warm over small flame.  Serve with cubed French bread or assorted dippers.  I chose cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, sliced Granny Smith apples and lightly steamed broccoli, zucchini and cubed tiny red potatoes. 

It was fun to sit in the floor dipping goodies into melted cheese over FIRE in the living room.  Especially fun to watch the USA winning gold medals while trying something new!

Adapted from The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook