Friday Foods – Cheese Fondue

Who says that backcountry meals have to be basic? This classic fondue from A Fork in the Trail is quick and easy to whip up, and will make you feel like you’re in a five billion-star restaurant.

Cheese Fondue

Makes four servings

8 ounces Gruyere cheese

1⁄2 cup white wine

1 clove garlic

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Items for dipping (see Tip below)

At Home

Package everything separately in ziplock bags or leakproof containers.

At Camp

Prepare the items you will dip in the fondue. Cut the cheese into small cubes and return them to the ziplock bag. Put 1 tablespoon of flour into the bag with the cheese, close the bag and shake so that the flour coats the cubes. Cut the garlic clove in half.

Add the garlic and 1⁄2 cup of wine to a pot and bring to a boil. Add half of the cheese and stir constantly over medium heat until the cheese is melted. If the cheese is sticking turn the heat down to medium-low. Then add the other half of the cheese. Stir until all cheese is melted and warmed through, being careful not to burn the cheese.

Reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting. Use a fork to remove the pieces of garlic. Pierce your bread or other dipping items with a fork and dip them in the cheese mixture. If the cheese starts to set up too much for dipping, just melt it again over low heat stirring constantly.

Tips

A teaspoon of dill weed is a nice addition to the fondue.

You can dip all sorts of things in cheese fondue. Cubes of French or pumpernickel bread are a good choice—it doesn’t matter if the bread goes a little stale as the warm cheese will

soften it. Some other options are bread sticks, crackers, toasted tortillas, Melba toast, cured sausage, raw veg- etables, shrimp or clams (the kind in the foil pouches), and apples and pears (dried or fresh). If weight isn’t a consideration, you can even take some baby new potatoes, boil them, and dip them in the fondue.