Cheese Fondue: Decoding The Classic Swiss Dish's Ingredients

Cheese fondue is a Swiss dish, traditionally made with Alpine cheeses, white wine, kirsch, cornstarch, garlic, black pepper, and nutmeg. The best cheeses for fondue are those that melt smoothly and have a buttery, creamy texture. Popular choices include fontina, Gruyère, gouda, sharp cheddar, and Emmentaler. When preparing the cheese fondue, it is important to grate the cheese, add cornstarch to prevent clumping, and stir constantly while adding the cheese slowly to ensure a smooth and creamy consistency.

Classic Swiss fondue: Gruyère, Emmentaler, and Appenzeller

Classic Swiss fondue is made with a combination of three traditional, firm mountain-style cheeses: Gruyère, Emmentaler, and Appenzeller.

Gruyère is a sweet and nutty-flavoured cheese that forms the base of the original fondue, which was simply stale bread dipped in melted Gruyère. Emmentaler is another variety of Swiss cheese, and the two are often combined with Appenzeller, a firm alpine-style cheese.

A classic Swiss fondue recipe includes 8 ounces of Gruyère, 8 ounces of Emmentaler, and 3 ounces of Appenzeller, along with a cup of dry white wine, a tablespoon of lemon juice, and cornstarch to thicken the mixture. The cheeses are shredded or cubed, tossed with cornstarch, and then melted slowly into the wine and lemon juice mixture, creating a rich and creamy fondue.

The fondue is then served immediately with a variety of dipping options, such as bread cubes, cooked potatoes, apples, pears, cornichons, pickled onions, and salami.

Three-cheese fondue: Gruyère, Emmentaler, and sharp Cheddar

Cheese fondue is a quintessential Swiss dish that originated in the Alpine region. The best cheeses for a three-cheese fondue are Gruyère, Emmentaler, and sharp Cheddar.

Gruyère lends a sweet and nutty flavour to the fondue, while the sharp Cheddar adds a tangy kick. The Emmentaler blends the flavours together, resulting in a rich and delicious taste.

To make the fondue, you will need to heat a cup of dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc, in a small saucepan over low heat until it simmers. In a separate, medium saucepan, melt some butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in a tablespoon of flour until a thick paste forms, and then gradually whisk in the wine.

Next, it's time to add the cheese. Gradually stir in the shredded Gruyère, Cheddar, and Emmentaler until melted, which should take about 5 minutes. It's important to add the cheese slowly and stir constantly to ensure a smooth and creamy fondue.

Once all the cheese has melted, you can transfer the mixture to a fondue pot and keep it warm over a low flame. Serve with a variety of dipping options, such as bread cubes, cooked potatoes, apples, or vegetables.

For an extra layer of flavour, you can rub the inside of the fondue pot with a garlic clove before adding the cheese mixture. Additionally, a splash of lemon juice or kirsch can enhance the fondue's flavour and help stabilize the emulsion.

Cheese fondue is a fun and communal dish, perfect for celebrating special occasions or simply enjoying a cosy night in with friends.

Wine: dry and high-acid white wine, like Sauvignon Blanc

When making cheese fondue, it's important to use a good-quality, dry and high-acid white wine. A wine such as Sauvignon Blanc will help keep the cheese fondue smooth and give it an even texture. The acid in the wine will cut through the richness of the cheese.

Sauvignon Blanc is a white wine known for its crisp, dry and refreshing taste. It is often described as having grassy, herbal and fruity flavours, with hints of green peppers, passion fruit and gooseberries. The wine is typically light-bodied with a pale yellow or green tint.

When selecting a Sauvignon Blanc for your cheese fondue, look for one that is crisp and dry. Avoid those that are overly oaked or aged in barrels, as these may impart unwanted flavours to the fondue. The wine should be of good quality, something you would happily drink with dinner. A good rule of thumb is to choose a wine that you enjoy drinking, as the flavours will be concentrated in the fondue.

The amount of wine you will need will depend on the recipe and the number of servings. Typically, a cup of wine is used for a fondue, but this can be adjusted to your taste preferences. You may also want to add a splash of kirsch, a clear, colourless brandy, for an extra kick.

Remember to add the wine slowly and stir constantly to ensure a smooth fondue. The wine should be heated gently with the garlic and lemon juice before the cheese is added. This will help to cook off the alcohol and create a more harmonious flavour.

By using a dry and high-acid white wine like Sauvignon Blanc, you will create a delicious and indulgent cheese fondue with a perfect balance of flavours.

Dippers: bread, apples, veggies, bacon, roasted baby potatoes, steamed broccoli, pickles

When it comes to cheese fondue, the classic choice of dippers is bread—specifically, French bread or baguette cut into 1-inch cubes for easy skewering and dipping. But there's a whole world of other options to explore too! Here are some ideas to get you started:

Apples

Tart, granny smith apples are a dream when dipped in cheese fondue. Cut them into cubes instead of slices, which can be harder to spear.

Veggies

Crudites like cherry tomatoes, sliced red bell pepper, carrots, and steamed broccoli provide a tasty, crunchy counterpoint to the creamy cheese.

Bacon

Baked bacon is the way to go here, as it's nice and crisp and won't break off into the pot. Since it can be harder to skewer, direct your guests to dip their slices right into the pot.

Roasted Baby Potatoes

Try oven-roasted potatoes or roasted fingerling potatoes. Or, if you're in a hurry, potato chips!

Pickles

Pickles are surprisingly addictive as a fondue dipper. Go for cornichons, which are the ideal dipping size and have a complementary flavor.

So, get your skewers ready and prepare for a fun, communal dining experience!

Other cheeses: Fontina, Gouda, Raclette, Vacherin Fribourgeois, Comte, Parmigiano-Reggiano

Fontina is a semi-hard, washed-rind cow's milk cheese, usually aged for about 90 days. It has a creamy texture that melts smoothly and offers buttery and earthy notes. Fontina is very similar to Swiss and French Alpine cheeses used for fondue. It is a popular choice for Italian fonduta, which is Italy's version of fondue.

Gouda is a young cheese that can be used as an alternative to Gruyère and Swiss cheese in a classic fondue recipe. It is a semi-soft cow's milk cheese with a mild, milky flavour.

Raclette is a raw cow's milk cheese from Switzerland. It has a smooth and salty flavour with hints of grassiness and a light nuttiness and sweetness. Raclette is also a melted cheese dish of its own, where a wedge of the cheese is heated until the outer layer is gooey and can be scraped off.

Vacherin Fribourgeois is a distinctly Alpine cheese with a creamy, semi-firm texture and flavours of chestnuts and meaty notes. It is popular enough in Switzerland to merit its own style of fondue, called Moitié-moitié, which is made with half Gruyère and half Vacherin Fribourgeois.

Comté is made in the historical French region of Comté, which shares a border with Switzerland. It is a smooth, nutty, buttery cheese with floral and tropical fruit flavours. It is aged anywhere from four months to three years and is made by about 140 small-scale regional cheesemakers.

Parmigiano-Reggiano is a hard cow's milk cheese from Italy, typically aged for at least 12 months to develop its signature salty flavour. It is a crumbly, hard cheese with noticeable salt crystals. It is not a classic fondue cheese, but its popularity and fruity and nutty flavour notes make it a good addition to fondue.

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