Cheese, please!

Section: Food

SOURCE: Boar's Head Cheese

Family Features) - Cheese, the ultimate comfort food, brings life to any party. The creamy, tangy taste of cheese wakes up a brunch, dresses up a simple dinner with friends and always draws a crowd around the hors d'oeuvre table. Cheese, which has enjoyed a special place in our diets for centuries, never goes out of style - whether it's a fondue for two or a feast for 50.

Boar's Head, a producer of premium delicatessen products, offers 30 different types of the finest cheeses made and considers cheese-making an art. Their Cheddar, Parmesan, Gruy ère and other cheeses are created in small batches, sometimes by hand, by certified Wisconsin Master Cheesemakers who have passed their skill down from father to son. Perhaps this is why the American Cheese Society rated Boar's Head Vermont Cheddar the Best Cheddar in America.

It's easy to taste the difference between cheeses made with care, effort and fine ingredients and ones where makers have bought milk from inferior producers, substituted dry milk or shortened the aging process. These cheeses lose their texture and character while the ones made with the methods of the master cheese makers retain their authenticity and unique flavor.

Cheddar Cheese Fondue

1 pound grated sharp Boar's Head Vermont Cheddar cheese
1 cup beer
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon Boar's Head Delicatessen Style Mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (for dipping)

Mix Cheddar with beer in fondue pot (if you don't have a fondue pot, a crockpot will work nicely). Heat slowly, stirring frequently, until melted. Add seasonings. Keep warm over a small fondue flame. Serves 6.