Fondue for two

I'm like a kid in a candy store at Williams and Sonoma. I need everything in there.

But sometimes I wonder if I'd actually use some of the "specialty items" they carry. The fondue pot I was eyeing at the end of last year was one of those cases. Would I use it?

But my sweet husband got it for me for Christmas so I didn't have to feel guilty about getting a product I didn't use. It's a Christmas gift - it's an indulgence!

The truth is... we use it about once a week. It's perfect for a quick weeknight meal and it's so. dang. good.

We've had a hard time coming up with a recipe that we love. And it actually brought up a situation in our house that we didn't expect to deal with. As LDS members, how do we feel about cooking with alcohol? We've eaten at the Melting Pot many a time and love it. I inquired about the alcohol used in preparation the first time we ate there and was told it would cook off.

Since then, though, I've come across several articles/studies that say that not all the alcohol cooks off. And managed to come across some pretty heated discussions about LDS cooking at the same time. Did you know some members don't use real vanilla because it contains alcohol? I was floored. That never even crossed my mind. I steer clear of tiramisu or anything obviously soaked in liquor. But sauces prepared with wine (as at many high-end Italian restaurants) didn't give me much pause (back to that 'it cooks off' thing).

Hans and I had a long discussion about it (which we don't need to get into here... I have a feeling everyone has their own strong opinions on this topic) and in the end decided we'd feel more comfortable using a recipe that didn't call for it. It has a lot to do with not having alcohol in the house, not so much for now as for later when we have kids.

All that to say: We made our own fondue recipe! And it's pretty tasty. So try it out :)

What you need:
1 cup sparkling cider
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
Juice of 1 lemon
4 teaspoons minced garlic
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
4 tablespoons flour
4 teaspoons dry mustard
12 oz medium sharp cheddar
4 ounces emmentaler swiss

Shred the cheese

Add the flour and toss to coat. (You could also use cornstarch for the same purpose - to keep the cheese from separating)

Whisk together the lemon juice, worchestershire sauce, minced garlic, chicken broth and dried mustard.

Get the fondue pot heated up and add in the sparkling cider. Then stir in the garlic/chicken broth mixture.

Whisk in the cheese 1/3 at a time 

Cut up your dippers  (we like crusty bread and green apples)

Enjoy!