Swiss Cheese Fondue. There are no words to say how wonderfully satisfying and heart warming this dish is, on a day like today when the streets are covered in ice, the wind is gusting close to 40 mph, and the windchill is in the double-digits below zero. The delightful glow of the Sterno, the thrill of eating with a long fork, the smell of pungent melted cheese. There's just nothing quite like it! It's easy and quick to make too, you just have to follow these instructions carefully or you'll end with an oily mess instead of a silken pot of delicious melted cheese. In the Swiss alps, on a day like today, this is often served (to adults only of course) with a side of Eau de Vie or fruit brandy. Kirsh, the version of this made from cherries, is most common. But Williams, the pear brandy version, is my personal favorite to dip the ends of my crusts of bread in. It helps cut through the richness and thickness of all the cheese — so that you can devour even more! If you don't have a fondue pot, don't worry. You can use any pot, really. Often, when we serve this for a crowd, we use our dutch oven because our own fondue pot is too small to hold four pounds of cheese. The recipe below is serve 4 hungry adults.
Ingredients:
3 cups of grated Gruyere cheese
3 cups of grated Emmentaler cheese
3/4 cups dry white wine
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
2 Tablespoons "Kirsh" or other similar
A squeeze of lemon
1 large garlic clove, peeled and smashed
1 large round peasant bread with a good crust (and few holes in the dough) cut into 1 inch cubes. (In a pinch, baguette works well too)
A large mixed green salad to serve with ( I like to include sliced fruit such as apples and pears, and crunchy, sweet veggies like carrots and fennel, which all go really well with all. That. Cheese!)
To prepare:
First, rub the insides of your pot well with the raw garlic clove, and leave it in the pot.
On medium, warm the white wine and lemon juice. Gradually mix in shredded cheese, stirring well with a wooden spoon, until melted.
In a small bowl, aside, whisk together the cornstarch and Kirsh, and add this to the melted cheese as it begins to bubble.
Continue to stir well until combined, about 3-4 minutes.
Place directly on table-top fondue base, over lit Sterno.
Serve with cubes of fresh bread and salad, and dig in! Nothing will warm you faster, trust me. You'll be ready to go roll in the snow before the pot's been cleaned out.
Ingredients:
3 cups of grated Gruyere cheese
3 cups of grated Emmentaler cheese
3/4 cups dry white wine
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
2 Tablespoons "Kirsh" or other similar
A squeeze of lemon
1 large garlic clove, peeled and smashed
1 large round peasant bread with a good crust (and few holes in the dough) cut into 1 inch cubes. (In a pinch, baguette works well too)
A large mixed green salad to serve with ( I like to include sliced fruit such as apples and pears, and crunchy, sweet veggies like carrots and fennel, which all go really well with all. That. Cheese!)
To prepare:
First, rub the insides of your pot well with the raw garlic clove, and leave it in the pot.
On medium, warm the white wine and lemon juice. Gradually mix in shredded cheese, stirring well with a wooden spoon, until melted.
In a small bowl, aside, whisk together the cornstarch and Kirsh, and add this to the melted cheese as it begins to bubble.
Continue to stir well until combined, about 3-4 minutes.
Place directly on table-top fondue base, over lit Sterno.
Serve with cubes of fresh bread and salad, and dig in! Nothing will warm you faster, trust me. You'll be ready to go roll in the snow before the pot's been cleaned out.
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