Cheese fondue
The best recipe
© margouillat photo / Shutterstock
Cheese fondue – for us that means: deliciously melted cheese meets crispy pieces of bread. The perfect combination for a sociable evening with friends.
Swiss cheese fondue – the best recipe
Ingredients for 4 servings:
- 1 clove of garlic
- 650 milliliters white wine (dry)
- 600 grams of Gruyère (Gruyère)
- 300 grams of Emmentaler
- 125 milliliters of kirsch
- 3 teaspoons of cornstarch
- White bread / baguette (and / or potatoes)
- Pepper (freshly ground)
Preparation:
- Peel the garlic, cut in half and rub the fondue pot with it. Slowly bring the wine to the boil on the stove.
- Grate both types of cheese and gradually add to the wine while stirring and allow to melt. Stir occasionally. Mix the kirsch and starch and stir into the cheese fondue.
- Place the fondue pot on a rechaud with a low flame. Skewer prepared bread cubes and / or small potatoes on a fondue fork, dip into the cheese (always stir at the bottom of the pan so that the cheese does not stick), sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and enjoy.
Tip: Those who prefer to prepare the cheese fondue without alcohol can use broth, milk or sweet cider with a splash of lemon juice.
The ingredients for your cheese fondue
The traditional cheese fondue consists of delicious Cheese, dry white wine, kirsch and pepper made from starch (corn starch, rice starch or potato starch)that acts as a binder. Also one clove of garlic is often added to the fondue.
The choice of cheese and wine is essential. Young cheese is best because it melts better than when it is mature. At White wine a variety with a slightly sour note should be chosen, so that the cheese retains its creamy consistency and does not become tough. You can too bit of lemon juice to give support.
Tip: A homogeneous cheese mixture is obtained if the cheese is grated beforehand. Constant stirring is mandatory when melting!
The right cheese for cheese fondue
Regionally in Switzerland there are many different preparation variants, all of which contain different types of cheese:
The Appenzell fondue is prepared accordingly with Appenzeller cheese, while the Fondue fribourgeoise sees the Freiburg Vacherin as the main ingredient.
The type of preparation moitié-moitié again includes the cheeses Gruyere and Vacherin and in the Basel area people like to use a mixture of equal parts Vacherin, Appenzeller and Gruyere.
Outside Switzerland, France and Italy can also score points with delicious fondue recipes. In Italy one adds next to the Fontina cheese for example too white truffle added. In France, however Beaufort, Comté and Emmentaler mixed – these cheese fondues are called "fondue savoyarde".
Cheese fondue: you still need that
Cheese fondue is prepared in a special container that Caquelon is called. This fondue pot is usually made of ceramic or porcelain. These materials ensure that the heat is not transmitted so quickly. This will gradually liquefy the cheese.
You also need one Rechaud – a device on which the caquelon is placed and which supplies the heat. Fondue forks are also important for skewering bread, potatoes, etc. And finally, a wooden spoon should be available to stir.
Original recipe for the Swiss cheese fondue:
The right side dishes for the cheese fondue
Become a cheese fondue White bread pieces and potatoes enough. It is important that the appetizers can be skewered well. This works best with bread, if there is a crust on each piece, then you can easily dip it into the fondues.
In addition, side dishes are served with the cheese fondue, such as:
- Gherkins
- mixed pickles
- Silver onions
In our article What goes well with cheese fondue? let's clarify which side dishes taste best with fondue. And of course it is allowed to complete it White wine to the court not lacking. Fits here dry wine outstanding!
Are you already mouth watering? Then it's time for a fondue evening! The ingredients are quick to get hold of and cheese fondues are simply tasty!
Here you will find a delicious variation: cheese fondue with filled bread wedges. Chocolate fondue and meat fondue provide variety. If you fancy raclette more, we'll show you all the tips about raclette cheese.