Sausage Fondue Appetizer

• Brown Uli’s Famous German Bratwurst crumbling into pan, cooking on medium heat.  Remove from heat, and drain on paper towels.  Then set aside.

• Get a pan over medium heat and add the butter. Once melted, add the onions and season with salt. Toss to coat in the butter and turn the heat to medium low. Add the thyme, and let the onions slowly brown and caramelize, about 20-25 minutes.

• Add the garlic cloves and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs, add the black pepper, and taste to ensure there is enough salt. The onions should be sweet, brown, with a silky texture. If your onions are browning too fast or getting black, add a little bit of water (1/4 cup) to the pan to deglaze and let you control the temperature.

Dijon-Cheddar Fondue:

• Let the butter melt in a pot.  Add the flour and using a wooden spoon, get all the flour incorporated into the butter. Let cook for about 5 minutes to get rid of the raw flour taste.

• While whisking, add in 2 cups of milk and make sure to incorporate, and then add the other two cups. Let the mixture come to a boil and then reduce it to a simmer. *NOTE: The sauce must come to a boil in order for the flour’s thickening agent to start working. If you simply simmer the sauce, it will never get thick.

• When the sauce is at the proper consistency, whisk in the 2 cups of cheese, over low heat and whisk until melted. Keep your heat low here, because if it is too high, then the cheese will curdle, and you’ll have a grainy sauce. Right at the end, once the cheese is fully melted, add the mustard, whisk it in, and then shut off the heat.

• Finally add all ingredients into fondue pot and keep.  You can use fondue pot or serving dish if kept warm.