Under 18 and Over 18 Cheese Fondue

A great recipe for your kids to make at home or for entertaining a group of kids, you can dip just about anything in this delicious fondue (although maybe avoid toy cars and Barbie dolls!). To save time, buy bags of ready-grated cheese, and for a more grown-up version, use wine instead of apple juice.

MAKES 2 adult or 4 kid-sized portions

PREPARATION TIME 10 minutes

COOKING TIME 5 minutes

FOR THE CHEESE FONDUE

100ml/3½fl oz/scant ½ cup apple juice or white wine

2 tsp cornflour/cornstarch

1 small garlic clove, halved

100g/3½oz/scant 2/3 cup grated Emmental or Gruyère cheese

100g/3½oz/scant 2/3 cup grated Cheddar cheese

¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

FOR DIPPING

you choose – virtually anything goes:

• cubes of crusty bread or breadsticks

• lightly cooked vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, courgette/ zucchini or baby corn

• sticks of carrot, cucumber, pepper or cherry tomatoes

• grapes, sliced apple or pear

• cooked tortellini or other small filled pasta shapes

 

1 Mix 2 tbsp of the apple juice into the cornflour/cornstarch to make a paste. Pour the remaining apple juice into a saucepan and add the garlic. Bring to a simmer over a low heat, without allowing it to boil. Gradually stir in the cheese, allowing it to melt, then stir in the cornflour/cornstarch paste. Cook for a couple of minutes until it is silky smooth and thickened, stirring all the time. If you can find it, fish out the garlic clove, then finish by stirring in the nutmeg.

2 If you know it will be eaten quickly, simply pour the fondue into a warm bowl, or you can, of course, be more traditional and serve in a fondue pot – just make sure kids are careful with the open flame. Or, if you have one, it can be served in a slow cooker set on low.

Leftovers for a family favourite

cauliflower mac ’n’ cheese

Warm any leftover cheese fondue with a little milk to loosen, then stir in the same quantity of cooked mashed or puréed cauliflower. Mix into cooked macaroni – you’ll need about twice as much macaroni as cauliflower – scatter with a little grated Cheddar cheese and grill/broil until bubbling.