Goat Cheese Fondue with Chanterelle Mushrooms and Gueuze
How to make Goat Cheese Fondue with Chanterelle Mushrooms and Gueuze
For those who haven’t tried Humboldt Fog, it’s really worth an effort to find this cheese. This ripened goat cheese is layered with a vegetable ash, making it incredibly elegant and seductive. Using this cheese in this Goat Cheese Fondue creates a rich, slight twang backdrop for earthy chanterelle mushrooms and the barnyard | funk from a Gueuze style beer. Then using this melted cheese as a dip for bread, blanched and raw vegetables becomes a delicious beer fondue.
Serves: 4 as an entrée, 8 as a appetizer
Special Equipment:
1 each All-Clad Stainless Steel Fondue Pot
1 each Sterno Cooking Fuel
Adapted from BeerAdvocate Magazine: Cuisine à la Bière | Feb 2008 | Issue #13
Check out my other Beer Fondue recipes.
Servings | Prep Time |
8 guests | 10 minute |
Cook Time |
20 minute |
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A Beer Fondue combining Humboldt Fog goat cheese, earthy chanterelle mushrooms and a Gueuze beer, to enhance the barnyard funk.
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- 6 tablespoon butter, unsalted
- 2 each shallots peeled and diced
- 1/2 pound mushrooms, chanterelle, cleaned of any dirt or debris, sliced
- 1 teaspoon thyme, fresh leaves only
- 1 teaspoon parsley, Italian leaf chopped
- 2 cup Gueuze, such as Drie Fonteinen or other Gueuze
- 1 pound Humboldt Fog Goat Cheese, from Cypress Grove
- 1-2 tablespoon cornstarch
- peppercorns, black freshly cracked to taste
- 1 loaf bread, roasted garlic sourdough, or other sourdough bread, cut into bite size cubes
- 1 head cauliflower, core removed, trimmed into flowerets, blanched
- 8 each celery root, small, peeled, cubed and blanched until tender
- 12 each asparagus, green, trimmed and blanched
- 1 each eggplant cut into cubes, roasted in a 425°F | 218°C for 30 minute
- 4 each onions, green, trimmed
- In a sauté pan, add 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Once butter has melted add shallots and cook until transparent, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan, setting aside in a bowl.
- Add remaining butter to the pan and add chanterelle mushrooms, cooking 8 - 9 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender and the moisture content is reduced. Mix in thyme leaves and parsley. Remove the pan from the heat and add the mushroom mixture to the shallots.
- To prepare the cheese, if using an aged goat cheese, remove the soft rind with a sharp knife, then cut into cubes. In a cast iron pan or fondue pot, add Gueuze or other Lambic-style beer and bring to a boil over medium-low heat. Add a small amount of goat cheese, whisking to melt; repeat until all the cheese has been added. Add cornstarch, one tablespoon at a time, checking the thickness before adding more, if needed. Stir in the reserved shallots and chanterelle mushrooms into the fondue. Taste to check seasoning, adding cracked black pepper to taste.
- To serve as a first course, preheat eight 4-ounce ramekins in a 300°F | 149°C oven for 15 minutes. Fill each ramekin with fondue, place onto a small salad plate, arranging Suggested Dipping Sides around the baking dish.
- This fondue can also be served in a fondue pot, double boiler or other preheated ceramic baking dish. Arrange the Suggested Dipping Sides on a separate platter and use a skewer | fondue fork to dip into the fondue.
Beer Pairing Suggestions:
Try a Bière Champagne like Dues or Malheur Bière Brut that will stand up to the tartness of the cheese and Gueuze. However, an earthly Saison from Fantôme would also complement the mushrooms nicely.
Fondue Tips:
- A wonderful loaf of sourdough bread is a great accompaniment to any fondue. Try different local or homemade breads to further individualize the meal.
- Blanching vegetables makes them easier to skewer and sometimes more tasty. Take a large 10 - 12 quart pot of water adding in a 1/4 - 1/2 a cup of salt (water should taste like seawater) and bring to a boil. Cook each prepped vegetable separately for 2 - 3 minutes, then remove from the pot and add to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.
- Vegetables that benefit from blanching: cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, green beans and asparagus.
- But I don't have a fondue pot, don’t worry. Try a heavy-bottom pot, double boiler or a ceramic baking dish like a soufflé dish.
- If the cheese is not melting smoothly, add a few drops of lemon juice or malt vinegar to help break down the cheese protein.
- Not enough fondue fork | skewers, use bamboo skewers are a substitute.
- If the fondue is too thick, add more beer, one tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
- Keep the fondue over low heat, if using Sterno Cooking Fuel or portable Butane stove. Too high of a temperature can scorch the fondue.
- If using flame heat, be prepared in case of a spill and have a fire extinguisher on hand.