Cheese fondue - that means for us: delicious melted cheese meets crunchy pieces of bread. The perfect combination for a convivial evening among friends.
Swiss cheese fondue - the best recipe
Ingredients for 4 servings:
- 1 clove of garlic
- 650 milliliters of white wine (dry)
- 600 grams of Gruyère (Swiss cheese)
- 300 grams of Emmentaler
- 125 milliliters of kirsch
- 3 teaspoons cornstarch
- white bread/baguette (and/or potatoes)
- Pepper (freshly ground)
Preparation:
Peel the garlic, cut it in half and rub it into the fondue pot. Bring the wine to a slow boil on the stove.
Grate both kinds of cheese and gradually add to the wine, stirring until melted. Stir from time to time. Mix cherry brandy and starch and stir into cheese fondue.
Place fondue pot on a Richard with a low flame. Skewer prepared bread cubes and/or small potatoes on a fondue fork, dip into the cheese (always stirring at the bottom of the pot so that the cheese does not stick), sprinkle with freshly ground pepper, and enjoy.
Tip: If you prefer to prepare the cheese fondue without alcohol, use broth, milk, or sweet must with a squeeze of lemon juice.
The ingredients for your cheese fondue
In addition to delicious cheese, dry white wine, cherry brandy, and pepper, traditional cheese fondue consists of starch (cornstarch, rice starch, or potato starch), which acts as a binder. A clove of garlic is also often added to the fondue.
The choice of cheese and wine is essential. The young cheese is best, as it melts better than matured. For white wine, choose a variety with a slightly acidic note, this way the cheese keeps its creamy consistency and does not become tough. You can also add a little lemon juice to help.
Tip: A homogeneous cheese mixture is obtained if the cheese is grated beforehand. When melting, constant stirring is a must!
The right cheese for cheese fondue
Regionally, there are many different ways of preparing cheese fondue in Switzerland, all of which involve different types of cheese:
- Appenzeller fondue is accordingly made with Appenzeller cheese, while fondue fribourgeoise sees Fribourg Vacherin as the main ingredient.
- The moitié-moitié preparation, on the other hand, includes Gruyère and Vacherin cheeses, and in the Basel area, people like to use a mixture of equal parts of Vacherin, Appenzeller, and Gruyère.
- Outside of Switzerland, France and Italy can also score with delicious recipes for fondue. In Italy, for example, the white truffle is added alongside Fontina cheese. In France, meanwhile, Beaufort, Comté, and Emmental are mixed together - these cheese fondues are known as "fondue savoyarde".
Cheese fondue: What else do you need
Cheese fondue is prepared in a special container called a caquelon. This fondue pot is usually made of ceramic or porcelain. These materials ensure that the heat is not transferred as quickly. As a result, the cheese is liquefied nice and gradually.
You also need a rechaud - a device on which the caquelon is placed and which provides the heat. In addition, fondue forks are important to skewer bread, potatoes & Co. And finally, a wooden spoon should be available for stirring.
The right side dishes for cheese fondue
Cheese fondue is served with pieces of white bread and potatoes. It is important that the morsels can be skewered well. This works best with bread if there is a crust on each piece, then you can easily dip them into the fondue.
Furthermore, side dishes are often served with the cheese fondue, such as:
- Cornichons
- Mixed pickles
- Silver onions
In our article "What goes well with cheese fondue?" we explain which side dishes taste best with fondue. And to complete the dish, of course, white wine should not be missing. Dry wine goes very well here!
Your mouth is already watering? Then it's time for a fondue evening! The ingredients are quickly procured and cheese fondues taste simply everyone!