Guinness and Irish Cheddar Fondue

Being vegetarian kind of puts a damper on the St. Patrick's Day food traditions. Full disclosure, those holiday dinners that my grandmother worked so hard on each year? I didn’t eat one bite of any of them when I was a kid, and not much has changed since then. Corned Beef? Lamb Stew? Shepherd’s Pie? Thank you, but no. Some try to mix up vegetarian versions, but the results aren't usually worth the effort. I've come to the conclusion that some things just aren't meant to moonlight as vegetarian fare. Then again, that could be my frustration talking.
 

Fed up and uninspired, this year we threw up our hands and celebrated in perhaps the least traditional way of all... with fondue! Guinness Stout and Irish Cheddar Fondue, to be exact. While fondue certainly can't call itself Irish with a straight face, considering the sum of its parts (Irish Cheese & Irish Stout) buys this version some legitimacy and one taste of its flavor makes you wonder what difference it makes anyway. At the end of the day, who doesn't love liquor-spiked food enough to turn a blind eye on the technicalities?

Guinness and Irish Cheddar Fondue (for two!)
Adapted from Food.com

1lb Irish aged cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup Guinness stout
1/2 tablespoon corn starch
Salt and pepper to taste

Crusty bread for serving

Cut the bread into cubes and set aside. Grate the cheese into a medium-sized bowl. Add corn starch and toss well. In a mid-sized pot, heat the stout over medium heat until hot but not boiling. Slowly add cheese to the stout, stirring constantly. Once all of the cheese has melted and the mixture is smooth, add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer contents to a fondue pan with a tabletop burner. Enjoy!