Cider Cheese Fondue

     I have been dying to try making fondue in my dutch oven, what could be better than dipping cubes of French bread and slices of fruit into simmering cheese by the campfire?  I have fond memories of our family sitting around the dining room table dipping beef, shrimp and crusty bread into the fondue pot.  An eight inch dutch oven is the perfect size for melting small amounts of cheese.  There are more recipes than you can shake a fondue fork at however this Cider Cheese Fondue from Allrecipes is fairly basic and a good place to start.  The cider adds a lot of flavor without the expense of a more traditional Kirsh and the cheeses are readily available and come already shredded.  Place your dutch oven over a full compliment of coals, bring the cider to a boil then gently stir in the cheeses.  Once the cheeses have melted and are bubbling, remove most of the coals, leaving 4 or 5 under your oven.  You only need enough heat to keep the cheese hot enough to keep from clumping.  Turn your camp oven into a fondue pot and enjoy this retro favorite at your campsite, while tailgating or after an afternoon of raking leaves on a cool autumn day.

Cider Cheese Fondue
3/4 cup apple cider or apple juice
2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 Tblsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp pepper
1 loaf French bread, cubed

     Lightly oil or spray dutch oven.
     Bring cider to a boil over a full spread of coals.
     Toss the cheeses with cornstarch and pepper; stir into cider.
     Cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until cheese has melted.
     Remove coals from under dutch oven, leaving just enough to keep the fondue warm.
     Serve with bread cubes.

Bring cider to a boil over a full compliment of coals

Toss cheeses with cornstarch and stir into simmering cider

Heat and stir until cheese has melted and is bubbling

A great way to warm up and couldn't be simpler to make