It has been snowing a lot in NYC this winter. Fondue seems a perfect fit for these freezing temperatures. In one way or another my guests expect a renaissance every year of this cheesy hominess in our restaurant. It might have something to do with the fact that I grew up in the Alps.
There are four kinds fondue I’m familiar with:
- various food bites boiled in an aromatic broth
- meat, fish or vegetables cut into mouth-sized pieces fried in hot oil
- cheese - the most classic version served with pickled vegetables and bread cubes
- sweet fondue such as chocolate accompanied by chunks of strawberries, apples, pineapple and such for dipping
(cheese fondue condiments: gherkins, pickled onions, sausage, bread chunks)
Cheese Fondue
The traditional version originally created in the Swiss Alps consists of good Alpine cheese meted into local dry wine with a touch of brandy. The cheese mixture is kept warm over a low flame on the dining room table in a fondue pot.
I think of fondue as mac & cheese without the macaroni pasta. The taste of several delicious tasting cheeses melted together make a huge flavor impact. So little needs to be added but I like to add some roasted garlic and a touch of freshly grated nutmeg to round the flavor out. Following is a basic recipe that my guests love:
(cheese fondue)
Alpine Cheese Fondue
(yields enough for two)
1 ½ cups Emmenthaler cheese, grated
1 ½ cups Gruyere cheese, grated
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 tablespoons flour
1-2 cups white wine such as Pinot Grigio
2 tablespoons brandy such as Kirsch (optional)
¼ teaspoon nutmeg, grated (optional)
1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced then roasted to a golden brown color in a little vegetable oil (optional)
1. Grate cheese then toss with flour
2. On medium heat setting heat 1 cup of wine but do not boil then add cheese one at the time, stir with a wooden spoon (melt cheese into the wine mixture until a smooth consistency is achieved – this step takes patience, keep mixture below boiling point so that it doesn’t become stringy).
3. Season to taste. Thin mixture with rest of white wine out if necerssary.
Since the recipe is so simple it’s fun to perk it up with some condiments. Here are some
Condiment ideas:
- Many pickled vegetable such as pearl onions, gherkins, mushrooms will work perfectly fine as long as they are bite-sized and don’t bleed out like pickled red beets
- bread cut into 1-inch sized cubes; one person can eat about 20 of these - it equals about 1-third of a French baguette
- large pretzel sliced into mouth sized pieces
- for a substantial fondue meal serve boiled or grilled sausage slices such as Kielbasa
Beyond the Basic Recipe:
Once you have prepared the basic fondue recipe I recommend matching different flavors of alcoholic liquid and cheeses such as lager beer with cheddar and gouda or blue cheese with cheddar with port wine, which is quite a powerful flavor combination.
Cheese fondue recommendations:
- use dry or semi-dry wine in the melting process because the acid of the wine helps to make a smooth cheese fondue consistency
- cook/melt cheese mixture on a stove then transfer into a fondue pot
- Keep fondue temperature about 120 degrees Fahrenheit so that the cheese mixture stays smooth and homogenized. Adding more wine (never use water) to a stringy or to thick fondue mixture should do the trick to have the honey-like saucy fondue consistency
Chef’s Note: if you have more people than your partner sitting with you at the fondue table – no double dipping please!
