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Swiss Cheese Fondue Recipe – Traditional (and delicious) Ski Food from the Alps

A few years back, me and a couple buddies took some time off and went on a ski trip in the Swiss and French Alps.  The trip took us to the Jungfrau, where we stayed in Wengen – a totally traditional and classic ski village.  While there, we had to try the traditional Fondue after a good day of skiing and man, did it hit the spot.  The marriage of the Gruyere and Comte (a different sort of Gruyere) makes for an awesome flavor that is only enhanced with the addition of some (rather smelly) creamy Swiss cheese.

So if you’re familiar with fondue recipes, the first thing you’ll likely notice is that there’s no thickening agents (typically cornstarch is used).  This version of the dish comes from our friends the Vials who hail from Evian, France and have been making a French-influenced Cheese fondue for years.  This is essentially Charlotte Vial’s recipe.  Thanks Charlotte!  It’s very simple in terms of the few ingredients,but comes out really awesome, trust us.

Cheese fondue is all about the quality of the cheese you can get your hands on.  If you have access to a cheese shop that can supply you with the sorts of cheese mentioned, it will make you an excellent fondue.  Ask your local cheese merchant about what they recommend and they’ll likely provide you some insight.  Sure, these cheeses may be a bit on the expensive side, but fondue is a social event, so I recommend having a big group to share with, as this recipe here will serve at least 8-10.

As far as things to dip into the cheese, the traditional items are cauliflower, green apples, salami or ham, and of course the classic french baguettes (I think sourdough works really well too…).  So now, when your relative gives you that fondue pot that you think you’ll never use, you can actually use it to cook an awesome (and memorable) meal for your friends.  Here’s how to make it happen:

Serves 8-10

• 2 cups each (6 cups total) of cheese.  I recommend using (if available) Reserve Gruyere, Comte Gruyere and Emmental (or Napfkase Swiss if you can find it, it’s delicious!)
• 1 bottle of good, dry white wine
• 5 medium cloves of fresh garlic
• Ideas on things to dip: Green apples, cauliflower, ham or salami, cubed french bread are traditional.  Other ideas are: peppers, turkey or chicken cubes, broccoli or really anything you would like to sample with cheese.

Cooking fondue is actually not very difficult.  Start by grating all of the cheese on the large holes of a box grater, removing the rinds of course.  Mix all of the cheeses together and set them aside.  Now’s the time you want to set up your fondue pot with the heater below to keep things warm and melted.

Pour around a glass of wine out of the bottle and then pour the rest of the bottle into a heavy bottomed pot and heat it over low heat.  Slice the garlic lengthwise, then add it to the wine and let the wine heat up very slowly.  When the wine looks like it’s about to start simmering (bubbles will form around the garlic and on the bottom), kill the heat and add a little bit of the cheese mixture.  You want to make sure you stir the cheese and that it’s melting very smoothly.  If it’s not melting, torn the heat back on.  Slowly add the rest of the cheese in handfuls, stirring well to combine.  The cheese should melt smoothly and become a rich, creamy consistency.  If you feel like the fondue it too thick, add a little more wine.

Transfer to the fondue pot(s), prepare your dippers and serve them alongside the same sort of white wine as you used in the fondue.  Enjoy!

Tags: Cheese, fondue, swiss recipes