Tussey Fondue!

Fondue?! Yes. FonDUE.

This farmers market season, I'm going to be featuring more recipes on the blog, with the occasional cheese review sprinkled in here and there. Be on the lookout for new cheeses and great everyday ways to use them in the coming weeks!

Anyway, Fondue: I think we've discussed this before but Tussey Mountain is my favorite cow's milk cheese produced here in Western Pennsylvania, but in case we haven't, it's a raw Emmentaler-style Swiss from Clover Creek Cheese Cellar of Williamsburg, Pennsylvania.

Tussey Mountain is also my favorite cheese to use when making fondue. In my latest batch, I mixed in a little Stampede from Goat Rodeo Farm & Dairy of Allison Park, Pennsylvania to widen out the flavor range and include a bit of an earthy, peppery bite.

What You'll Need:

12-16 ounces of firm cheese

2 tablespoons of cooking starch

2 cloves of garlic

1-2 cup white wine

2 tablespoons of sherry

fresh ground pepper to taste

How To:

Grate one wedge of Tussey Mountain and one wedge of Stampede and mix together in a bowl. (The inclusion of rinds in your grating is optional but possible in this case.)

Toss the cheese in baking starch, just enough to cover. I used tapioca starch but flour, cornstarch of even potato starch could work.

Chop the garlic and press it against the bottom of a heavy cooking pot.

You want the garlic oils to cover as much surface area as possible to give the fondue a nice garlicky-sweet aroma. Sauté the garlic momentarily and stir in about a cup and a half of the white wine. Simmer until the wine is warm.

Stir in the cheese mixture and warm until the cheeses are melted and incorporated throughout. Add the sherry, followed by the pepper, to taste.

Notes: I used a Riesling from Sand Castle Winery in Pennsylvania's Delaware Valley but you could substitute one 12-ounce bottle of beer if you'd like. (In this case, skip the sherry.) Also, the amounts of each ingredient used in this recipe are all flexible. If the final product is too thick, add more booze. If it's too thin, add more cheese. Never be afraid to stir in fresh herbs or other spices. ENJOY!