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Maple Cheese Fondue

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For this fondue recipe we’ve sweetened things up a bit and added in a touch of pure maple syrup. A little goes a long way in this Maple Cheese Fondue sure to please everyone at the table!

Maple Cheese Fondue
We’ve added a tasty spin on a classic in our Maple Cheese Fondue

My daughter went on a Pathfinders trip to Quebec earlier this month. She was gone for 9 days and it was the longest and farthest she’s ever been from home. To celebrate her return we prepared a Maple Cheese Fondue using pure maple syrup like Cosman & Webb from Quebec.

Sitting around the table with a fondue is a great way to get caught up on life, share stories and have some great conversations with those you care about.

Maple Cheese Fondue
Maple syrup and another special ingredient in this fondue make it a winning combination!

We love our melted cheese nights and are always having friends over for fondue, some who have never even experienced it before.

It’s important to know what ingredients are required to ensure your cheese fondue is phenomonal.

Essential Fondue Ingredients

1) Wine, Beer, Citrus. A cheese fondue needs one of these ingredients to help balance the fat from the cheese. Each of these items on their own pairs nicely with a good cheese so these choices work well.

  • Wine: choose a nice crisp white that is not over powering but still offers good flavour. My go to choices are a pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc which just so happen to be my regular go-to wines.
  • Citrus: fresh lemon juice is your best bet although orange will offer a different experience depending on the cheese you use.
  • Beer: your favourite lager or ale will do.

2) The cheese. A cheese fondue is not a cheese fondue, without the cheese. Any melting cheese will do although a blend of cheese offers much more flavour and bang for your buck as classic fondue cheese like Gruyere and Emmentaler can be expensive.

Maple Cheese Fondue
Maple Cheese Fondue with broccoli dipper

All our recipes are tried and true a few times over before we post. This way we can offer our best tips and tricks.

PRO TIPS:

  • Turn the heat off your burner when you go to add your cheese. The residual heat will melt the cheese and prevent the cheese from breaking. Once incorporated pour into your fondue pot.
  • A glazed ceramic fondue pot is the best pot to use for a cheese fondue. It distributes the heat evenly keeping the cheese the right temp and it’s built to last. Ours is pushing 20 + years.
  • Prepare all your dippers in advance so they are ready to go when your fondue is ready.
  • Ensure your pots, plates and forks are also ready to go.
  • We use salami and pepperoni with a hint of spice to offset the sweet in the fondue.
Maple Cheese Fondue
Maple Cheese Fondue with dippers

Preparing a cheese fondue is a lot easier than you think. With the right tools and ingredients, plus a little prep work you will be ready to get started fondueing in no time!

Are you a melted cheese fan?! Here’s a few of our favourite cheese fondues you can’t live without:

Iceberg Wedge Salad with Bacon

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A salad needs only a few ingredients and a fantastic dressing to make it a salad and this Iceberg Wedge Salad with Bacon offers all those things and more.

Wedge Salad with Bacon
Wedge Salad

Wedge Salad History

The history of the Wedge Salad has been found to date back to 1916 in a book called “Salads, Sandwiches & Chafing Dish Recipes” by Marion Harris Neil. Iceberg lettuce was a very popular item in those days, most likely super cheap and a good canvas for adding flavours.

With fewer ingredients to cook with in those days Marion’s recipe is simply Roquefort cheese and hard boiled eggs with a light dressing. In the decades to follow the wedge salad became a delightful and popular starter course to order when dining out.

The traditional classic wedge salad of the 1970s could be found in many steakhouses and would always be laden with blue cheese dressing, crispy bacon, and hard boiled egg all on top of an iceberg lettuce wedge.

Wedge Salad with Bacon
Wedge Salad with Bacon & Pistachios

In the last ten years the wedge salad has begun to make a comeback popping up on menus all over the country. Many recipes stick true to the traditional wedge salad ingredients, however at Bakersbeans we see no point in following tradition and as always love to put our own spin on recipes.

How to Construct A Wedge Salad

A wedge salad, like any bright green salad can be dressed up or dressed down however you choose. Adding beans, nuts, chopped vegetables or fruit, different cheese, salad dressings, even protein changes the game and gives you a new fresh salad every time you make it.

I’ve been playing with my food aka wedge salads for the past month. We decided this week will be wedge salad week in our house. One head of iceberg lettuce can make four meal sized wedge salads, therefore stay tuned for three more wedge salads this week!

PRO TIPS:

  • Leave the core intact. Slice a thin piece off the bottom and eat around it. This ensures the wedge holds together.
  • This recipe makes enough for four wedge salads or one individual serving.
  • Sprinkle a little water on your leftover lettuce head and use plastic wrap pressed against the cut side of the lettuce head and wrapped around it to stop it from turning brown.
  • If you do not like knife and fork your salad, rough chop it on your plate, give it a toss and you now have a tossed salad.

This salad is a knife and forker and currently one of our favourites. Be sure to check out our other popular wedge salads:

What is your favourite salad?