Cheese Fondue

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the Fondue:

6 tablespoons/80 g butter
3 tablespoons/30 g all purpose flour
¼ cup/50 ml Kirshwasser
1 cup/275 ml whole milk
3 ounces/90 g Emmenthaler cheese or any type of Swiss, cubed
3 ounces/90 g Gruyère cheese, cubed
3 ounces/90 g Raclette cheese, cubed
3 ounces/90 g creamy blue cheese or Fontina cheese, cubed (use the Fontina cheese if a more mild flavor is desired)
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste

Accompaniments:

1 loaf crusty French bread, torn into bite-size pieces
3 cups/175 g broccoli florets
1 yellow squash, cut into sticks
1 zucchini, cut into sticks
12 small white mushrooms, halved
½ English cucumber, cut into sticks
4 green onions, quartered crosswise

Method:

Melt the butter in a heavy large sauce pan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour. Constantly whisk for 1 minute or until the mixture is smooth and begins to bubble. Slowly whisk in the Kirshwasser. Whisk in the milk. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer.

Slowly add the cheese, stirring until all the cheese has melted and the mixture is smooth (you may need to add a little more milk if the mixture becomes too thick). Season the fondue to taste with the nutmeg.

Transfer the fondue to a fondue pot and place it over a canned heat burner to keep it warm.  Arrange the bread, broccoli florets, yellow squash, zucchini, mushrooms, cucumber and green onions on a platter and serve with the fondue, allowing diners to skewer the bread and vegetables with a fork and dip them into the cheese fondue.