During Black Friday Football 2009, I got a fancy electric fondue pot.  To celebrate many belated events and achievements (John's new iphone application went online, I accepted three jobs over the last few months), I decided that beer and garlic fondue would be an appropriate meal.  This recipe is the popular rue method of making fondue.  Enjoy!

Ingredients to serve two:

Directions: In a sauce pan or an electric fondue pot, melt the butter slowly.  Add the flour and whisk it in vigorously.  If are using a fondue pot that doesn't have much heat (like those ceramic ones that are heated by tea lights), you need to make the fondue in a saucepan first before transferring it to your fondue pot.  Keep whisking the flour and butter mixture until the rue (butter/flour mixture used to thicken soups and sauces) is a golden brown.  At this point, stream in the beer while whisking.  It will probably foam and bubble.  Add the minced garlic to the mixture or use a garlic press to press it into the mixture.  Keep whisking until the mixture is like a thick gravy.  Add the cheese to the mixture one handful at a time while whisking.  Make sure the cheese is melted thoroughly before adding more cheese.  The aroma at this point should be intoxicating.  Once all the cheese is added, the fondue is ready to be served. Since I was only serving for two, I didn't buy large quantities of veggies that I had to wash and chop.  Instead, I roamed around Whole Foods Downtown picking up some fresh veggies from the salad bar and some prepared food from the deli, barbeque, and prepared dishes.  I chose 2-3 ounces of a variety of items which costs on average $1.50 per item. 

Traditional things to dip into the fondue:

Things I dipped: