When I visited Switzerland for the first time, our kind and hospitable hosts treated us to a meal of real Swiss fondue. Now, I have never been very enthusiastic about fondue. It has always seemed gimmicky and outdated (olive green fondue pots, strawberries dipped in chocolate...). But the real thing — ah, it won me over. Here's a little peek at one of the most wonderful meals I've ever had.
The table set, with steaming glasses of tea.
This fondue meal was both rich and simple. It was put together by our hosts, who bought the cheese on one of our outings to the Emmental region (we were staying in Bern). We stopped in a small cheese shop and bought a packet of pre-shredded fondue cheese. My hostess told me that the wine and the Kirsch were already included in this mix, so she didn't have to mix anything else in — just heat it up. She usually doesn't get this kind of cheese, though; she usually buys it whole from her own cheesemonger at the market. But they wanted to try something new this go-round.
Pouring Kirsch.
When it was time to eat, the table was set with wineglasses, cordial glasses for Kirsch, and tea cups. Our hosts emphasized the importance of hot drinks with the fondue — it keeps the cheese from solidifying into a big lump in your stomach! We had small glasses of Kirsch (cherry brandy), as well as a light white wine, and some lemon verbena tea. (You can see why this is a meal ordinarily eaten only in the depths of winter! Everything conspires to warm you right to your toes.)
Our hostess warmed the cheese on the stove in an enameled pan, and then brought it to the table where we were waiting and ready. We each speared a piece of precisely-cut bread on a fondue fork, and dipped in.
We were very careful about spearing the bread — our hosts did inform us that if we lost a piece of bread in the cheese, we'd have to kiss one of them!
The cheese itself was hot and bubbling on the chafing dish stand — smooth and creamy. This particular batch of fondue cheese included Emmental cheese and a couple other regional specialties; my host was not completely sure what was included. (She usually uses a mix of Vacherin and Gruyère, which she says makes for a lighter fondue.)
Even though we were only eating bread and cheese for supper, we got full very quickly! It was so rich and savory, hot and chewy. We dipped the bread into the cheese, and twirled it for a moment above the pot, where the cheese hardened just slightly, just enough to bring it to our mouths without dripping.
Like its cousins shabu shabu, hotpot, and steamboat, fondue is a meal made for lingering at the table, eating slowly, and making conversation as the light dims. It's filling and simple, and so warm. By the time that every scrap of bread was eaten, and the last bits of caramelized cheese scraped from the pot, we were full to bursting and more than a little tipsy from the plummy Kirsch. Eating fondue that night let us experience Swiss hospitality at its finest, and the savor and the warmth of the cheese and the company have stayed with me still.
And yes, I now understand fondue and what all the fuss is about. It's elemental and simple, and yet so perfect a meal for a cold winter's night.
Related: Fondue: Tricks of the Trade - The Cheesemonger
(Images: Faith Durand)
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Did I understand correctly - that wine and Kirsch were included in the cheese mix? Or was it that wine and Kirsch are a part of the meal?
Sousani - both. Wine and Kirsch are melted with the cheese in the pot, but you also drink them throughout the meal.
I have an avocado green fondue pot! From the 70s! (Stolen from Mom and Dad, who assure me they never missed it.) Fondue used to be a New Year's Eve pre-party tradition. Time to get some Sterno and introduce the little one to dangerous table items. Maybe hot apple cider for her? (And as well as bread, some lightly steamed green beans and cauliflower are good for dipping, too.)
Faith - let me continue to be stupid. I am trying to visualize the mix. It was semi-liquid? The shredded cheeses were added to the liquids?
I have a fondue set that we've used a couple times. Fondue is so much fun to eat! Its cousin, raclette, is also a fantastic meal. Plus there are lots of differently styled raclette "machines" that are fun to use. I've had it several ways. YUMMMM, now I want some melted cheese..........
Sousani, you can see a good recipe for it here - it's usually not so liquid; the wine and Kirsch moisten the cheese just enough to help it melt and keep it very runny after melting.
This is fun to read!
I work in Switzerland (Zurich) where having fondue is the fave get-together activity in winter with co-workers, collegues and friends. Next time you make it to Switzerland try Raclette!
@cmcinnyc I also stole my parents' avocado green fondue pot! Mine is electric, so no sterno, which I'd be sure to burn myself with, so that's good. I always picked fondue (oil fondue at that time) for my birthday dinner when I was a little kid, so every time I use it now, I get nostalgic. I'm strictly into cheese fondue now, although I get ideas about doing a version of a Chinese hot pot sometimes. But the cheese always wins...
I was introduced to fondue by my husband and given my love for bread and cheese, surprised that it had taken my that long to try it. We indulge a couple of times a year during the holidays and colder months that follow and its always a treat.
Love fondue! Only have it 2 or 3 times a year, but we add blanched veggies (usually brocchli) and cubes of ham.
I have the same fondue service with brass cows :-)
It is the end of the dèsalpes season now -- when the cows come down from their high summer pastures for the winter. The summer milk makes the best, most flavourful cheese, excellent in fondues. Hope you got to go to a dèsalpe while you were here in Switzerland Faith!
This is one of our favourite dèsalpes, in a small town in Gruyère:
http://www.desalpe-semsales.ch/site/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=2
Oh, and to lighten up the fondue a bit, we add fruit (grapes, apples), as well as cornichons, which are traditional.
(we don't add it to the fondue, we dip the fruit instead of bread, and follow bread dipped in the cheese with a cornichon...)
I love it too. My aunt lives in the Valais region in Switzerland and we visit her every chance we get. With the fondue, we serve usually small potatoes as well and cured meats, like grison meat.
I love the grapes and apples idea! And the cornichons.
I just went over to a friend's house for fondue last night! It was perfect for a cold, rainy fall evening. I brought over my fondue pot for the cheese one (not traditional Swiss, but a divine Cheddar & Apple Cider recipe) and my host used her own pot for the chocolate one. Delicious.
I'm trying to understand how on earth they included the wine and kirsch in the cheese mix!
I'm Swiss (family also from the Valais region), so authentic cheese fondue has been a staple for me my whole life. The recipe Faith linked to is actually one of the only truly authentic recipes I've seen online.
The main tip in making fondue? Keep it simple. At the end of the day, it's at it's best as (basically) a mix of great cheese and wine, and dipping pieces of a good, crusty baguette. Don't fret about adding herbs, or using different things to dip. Keep it simple!
Just to add two of my family's quick tips (that can help make this a quick-and-easy meal):
1) I usually use a mix of half gruyere, half swiss. A saltier swiss I actually find a little better than ementaler, but that's just me!
2) If no kirsch, tequila works just fine (used to liquefy the cornstarch).
3) Stir the cheese in figure 8's! (I spent a whole lot of my childhood with that part as my "job" on fondue nights.)
4) Putting the pot on a hot plate (on low) instead of a gel burner is just a thousand times easier, and leaves you plenty of time.
5) I find the mixes (like the one at Trader Joe's) have a little aftertaste to them, but maybe that's just me. With a food processor to shred the cheese, you're really not saving that much time, so everyone should try it from scratch at least once!
@Jonell Galloway: In mixes I've seen, the cheese/kirsch/wine is almost gel-like, kept in a foil pouch. Though I'm sure those made in a cheese shop are better/fresher than the Trader Joe's variety!
The one thing I like to add to fondue is a bit of garlic. Rub the pot with some cut garlic and then just leave the whole thing in the cheese. Gives it a nice but not overpowering taste of garlic.
And once the pot is empty, crack an egg and make a cheese omelette for sharing.
I always find a shake or two of nutmeg with the cheese really accents the flavor. I usually use beer for the liquid, too, since that's what I always have on hand. Fall and winter beers blend in really well!
I have really enjoyed taking the short cut and using a premade mix and will have to say I had good luck with Trader Joe's. I have also put out fennel soaked in lemon for guests to use a palate cleanser in between dips. Pasta and Sausage are a huge hit! Pepperoni was not...
My fondue post: http://foodbeforeshoes.wordpress.com/2010/11/10/cheese-and-chatter/
the french swiss use gruyere and vacherin and the german swiss use gruyere and emmentaler. to mix the cheeses, wine and kirsch it helps to add 1 tsp. corn starch (mixed with a little white wine) which brings it all together easier.
I also found a place to buy additional burners and special fondue gel: Monsieur Marcel at the Farmer's Market (Sur la Table told me to go there when they saw that they did not have those supplies - very helpful and friendly indeed!)
Usually you add garlic to the fondue. And I never heard of any fondue mix which already had the Kirsch included.
A fondue mix can include various cheese at different percentages, one of the most common is moitié-moitié or half-half, 50% gruyère and fifty percent vacherin fribourgeois.
But every Swiss cheese vendor and many families have their own special fondue recipee.
My family for example adds a little bit of curry to the fondue. That is not very usual, but we think it tastes great and helps to digest.
While fondue is typically eaten in the winter you should also try it on a not too hot summer evening, outside. No lingering smell inside!
I don't remember how my family made cheese fondue when I was a kid, but the end result was exactly as you describe. I'd always start slowly so I'd have room for the caramelized bits at the bottom. Mmmmm.
My mother used to throw fondue parties back in the 70's(of course). The kind where you heat boiling oil in the pot and then serve different meats and dipping sauces. One time one of the guets was drunk and overturned the pot and hot oil spilled all over the table. Fortunately it managed to absorb into the table cloth before scalding all the guests.
I work for an online retailer that specializes in gourmet kitchen and cookware. I was tasked one day with writing catalog descriptions for Swissmar fondue sets, and my mouth just watered the whole time. I went straight to the package store and the grocery for wine, cheese, and good bread, and used my mother's old fondue set (Harvest Gold, it is) to cook up a surprise for my Gentleman.
We ate on the front porch that spring evening, and had an absolute ball.
Faith, wow, your host sounds very gracious and wonderful. My experience was exactly opposite, but my fondue was good:-) http://7th-taste.com/2011/12/25/swiss-fondue-with-riesling/
Mmm...this sounds amazing. I had a wonderful fondue last year in Amsterdam that was just about what you are describing.
I've never understood the snobbery often directed at fondue. Seriously, who doesn't love dipping things in cheese?
I can't agree more with NICOLEZH . Once you've fondue be sure to try out Raclette!
Yea for the Swiss! :) Any other Bieris out there?
I was a fondue skeptic as well, but some friends took me to a little restaurant called Urban Fondue in Portland, Oregon which completely won me over. Fondue can be both delicious and fun!
Baffled by those confused how kirsch and wine is mixed with cheese. This isn't some sort of bizarre recipe. Fondue is not just melted cheese -- it would be way too thick that way. You always add wine as a base. ALWAYS. Wine or beer.