Swiss cheese fondue recipe
Being Swiss, I’m a big cheese lover. Switzerland gets a lot of praise for its chocolate and watches, but for me the best thing that comes from my home country is the delicious cheese. In my humble opinion, fondue is the best dish you can get in Switzerland. There are as many variations of Swiss cheese fondue recipes, as there are mountains in Switzerland. You can get your fondue in restaurants, as a ready mix in a grocery store, in a chalet in the mountains or my personal preference, by making it yourself.Over time, I've created my own signature Swiss cheese fondue recipe and I’m proud of the praise it gets from everyone who tries it. While some ingredients always stay the same, like the Gruyère cheese, for example, I love to mix up the other cheeses a lot. So when you can’t find the cheeses I put on the list, don’t worry - just do it like me and improvise.
Servings 4 people
Ingredients
- 1-3 cloves garlic dependent on taste, one halved and the rest finely chopped)
- 1 sprig rosemary leaves only, finely chopped
- 1 sprig thyme leaves only, finely chopped
- 1 pinch sage leaves finely chopped
- 400 g 400g Kaltbach Le Gruyère AOC höhlengereift (or any other Gruyère) coursely grated
- 200 g Luzerner Rahmkäse Rustico (or any other semi hard cheese) coursely grated
- 200 g Emmentaler AOP höhlengereift (or any other hard cheese) coarsely grated
- 2 tbsp corn starch
- 350 ml dry white wine
- 2-3 tbsp kirsch (cherry Schnapps)
- 1-2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1-2 tsp paprika
- 600-800 g bread 2-3 days' old is best
Special equipment
- Fondue set with a burner and four fondue forks
Instructions
- Prepare the table first. Once you start to prepare the fondue, you’re not going to have time for this. Every person needs a plate and a fondue fork. As you’re going to eat melted cheese, I recommend using some place mats as well.
- Cut the bread into around 2cm-thick strips and put it into bowls on the prepared table.
- Rub the inner surface of the fondue pan with the halved garlic. After this, chop the used garlic finely and put it with the other garlic. Consider investing in some preserved chopped garlic to save time.
- Grate the cheese.
- Mix the grated cheese and the corn starch in the fondue pan (formerly known as a Caquelon), then add the garlic and the white wine (don’t forget to generously taste the quality of the wine!)
- Let everything melt to a smooth, cream-like substance on a medium heat while you continuously stir the fondue with a figure-of-eight movement.
- Once the fondue is smooth and creamy, add the kirsch, nutmeg, paprika and herbs and continue to stir for another 3-4 minutes.
- Now, you can serve the fondue to your guests. To eat it, take one of the bread strips and break off a chunk. Stick this part on your fondue fork and dunk it into the melted cheese.
Notes
Tips
- Don't be afraid to experiment with different types of cheese.
- Traditionally, in Switzerland, if you lose your bread in the fondue, you have to complete certain tasks. Men are expected to buy the next round of drinks, while women are challenged to kiss everyone in the round. I think it’s way funnier if you invent your own rules, though. So,invite some friends round, make a fondue, enjoy and have a good time!