Swiss Cheese Fondue
This cheese fondue is a winter favorite in Switzerland! But it's absolutely scrumptious and can be enjoyed year-round! It makes for a wonderfully fun and exciting meal to serve to guests! Serve it with your favorite white wine with friends or for a cozy Christmas dinner!
Equipment
- 1 Fondue pot
- 1 Saucepan
Ingredients
FOR THE CHEESE FONDUE:
- 14 oz Gruyere cheese or white cheddar, although I would strongly discourage substituting anything if you can help it as the Gruyere has way more flavor!
- 14 oz Swiss Emmental cheese or any Swiss you can find
- 14 oz Camembert cheese or Brie
- 2 1/2 cups dry white wine
- 6 tsp cornstarch
- 3 tbsp Kirsch (a cherry brandy) you can substitute with whiskey or just omit altogether for less alcohol. I just used more white wine to mix with the cornstarch.
- 1 garlic clove
- pinch of nutmeg optional
- pinch of ground mustard optional
- salt and pepper to taste
FOR SERVING:
- 1-2 loaves of crusty French bread cut into cubes
- boiled or roasted small potatoes
- dill pickles
Instructions
- Grate your Gruyere and Swiss cheeses.
- Cut the rind off of the Camembert or Brie and cut the soft cheese into cubes.
- Slice a clove of garlic and rub all along the inside of your cooking pot. Discard the rest of the garlic.
- Heat the wine in a large pot on medium heat until it starts to simmer. I recommend a large pot that you can whisk the cheese vigorously into the wine without splashing onto stove.
- Slowly add in your cheeses, whisking it into the wine and allowing it to melt.
- Meanwhile, mix together the 6 tsp cornstarch and 3 tbsp kirsch or beverage of choice.
- Once the cheese has fully melted into the wine, slowly whisk in some of the cornstarch mixture. You may not need all of it. Add enough until you have a thick consistency, but not too thick to coat a piece of bread. If it gets too thick, just add a bit more wine to thin it out.
- Season the fondue with salt, pepper, nutmeg and mustard.
- Transfer to a Fondue pot with stand over a medium flame to serve.
- Serve with crusty bread sliced into cubes for dipping!
- To keep the cheese fondue a liquid, just give it a swirl with your fork as you dip in your bread and also to coat it nicely!
Notes
TO MAKE THIS LESS ALCOHOLIC:
Just bring your wine to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes before adding in your cheese. This will cook out some of the alcohol. You also may want to leave out the Kirsch and substitute it for vinegar instead.
FOR SERVING:
In Switzerland, cheese fondue is traditionally served with just bread for dipping. Some may eat pickled veggies as a side. But experiment and have fun! We added broccoli just for the added nutritional benefit and of course here in the states, broccoli and cheese just make sense!