When the cold season begins, the fondue set is brought out again and a delicious hot cheese fondue is conjured up. It not only tastes exquisite, but also warms you from the inside. In the circle of family and friends, such a cheese fondue is even more fun – the combination of specially spicy cheese, wine and a dash of cherry schnapps is a classic in Alpine cuisine, which also enjoys great popularity worldwide.
What is a cheese fondue
Fondue is French and simply means "melted". But it is not only there that people love hot cheese – fondue is very popular worldwide. You sit together and enjoy the food. The center point is the pot, which stands on a frame. You either use the electric version or make use of a heat source. While fat or broth is simply used for fondue with meat, the yellow treat is of course the focus of cheese fondue. The cheese is cut into bite-sized pieces and slowly heated until the cheese liquefies.
Furnishings
For the cheese fondue, you need a pot made of glazed clay, which is relatively flat and has a handy handle. In Switzerland, the pot is called a Kachel and in France a Caquelon. As with every fondue, you absolutely need the rechaud here too. There is already a large selection of how to heat it. Either with spirit or burning paste – burning paste is to be preferred here – or electric.
The right fondue forks for a cheese fondue are three-pronged (the two-pronged ones are actually for meat fondues, but it doesn't matter if you use them for the cheese fondue). Different colors are attached to the fork ends so that everyone can find their own fork in the pot quite quickly. Furthermore, there are also cooking baskets or fondue strainers. With these, you can wonderfully cook vegetables in the pot, as they unfortunately often fall apart easily.
Finally, the fondue plates should be mentioned. These have many compartments so that all the side dishes have plenty of space. They are now also available in all shapes and sizes.
The cheese
The cheese is of course the most important thing here because it determines the taste. You should calculate 200-250 g of cheese per person. Some well-suited types of cheese are Appenzeller, Gouda, Emmental, Beaufort, Bel Paese, Cheddar, Chester, Danbo, Fontina (Italian fondue cheese). As a rule, a mixture of Gruyère, Vacherin, Appenzeller and Emmental is used. A traditional cheese fondue in France, on the other hand, is served with Beaufort, Comté and Emmental as well as Gruyère. If you like it particularly strong and spicy, you can also add an Eastern Swiss cheese to the mixture.
But there are also many ready-made cheese mixtures now if you don't have that much time or simply don't want to do the work. If you want to do it yourself, you should also consider the degree of maturity of the cheese. Because young types of cheese are mild and creamy. However, the older the cheese gets, the spicier and sharper it becomes. So you can get beautiful taste variations by combining a young and an old cheese. Here you can find a lot of different recipes for cheese fondues, just browse the internet or even treat yourself to a recipe book about fondue.
Before serving, season the fondue with a little ground pepper and nutmeg and the savory cheese fondue is ready.
Extra tip: For the cheese fondue, it is best to use half grated and half sliced cheese. If you only use grated cheese, the mass clumps very easily.
Variety in taste
To refine the cheese, you can be quite experimental. Some swear by white wine, others add apple juice or even sparkling wine. How about a dash of red wine to give the melted cheese a slight red tint? Broth also gives the cheese some spice. Depending on your taste, a touch of fruit schnapps, a few herbs, butter or simply salt and pepper are also suitable. You can also rub the pot with a little garlic before use to add a touch of spice. If you like, you can also add the garlic directly: chop the garlic clove and roast it a little in butter and then stir it into the cheese fondue. Furthermore, you can also vary the cheese fondue with tomato paste, herbs, sautéed mushrooms, or roasted onions. Here everyone can indulge in their own preferences and try things out.
Preparation of the fondue
The basis for a good cheese fondue is of course the homogeneous mass. This is achieved by combining the liquefied cheese with wine. To ensure that these two masses do not separate during preparation, the cheese should always be worked with a wooden spoon while melting. Here it says: stir, stir and stir again.
If the wine still doesn't want to combine with the cheese, then more vigorous stirring and the addition of a little starch is advisable. Traditionally, the cheese fondue is not only stirred in a circle, but always in the shape of an eight.
Particularly popular and a true delicacy is the cheese crust at the bottom of the caquelon. Although this part is difficult to digest and also contains a lot of calories, this dish is simply indispensable among cheese lovers. Ideally, a schnapps is drunk after the fondue to boost digestion. If you don't like or can't tolerate high-proof alcohol, you are well advised with a black tea during and after the meal. A feeling of fullness is avoided and the fondue is easier to digest.
Side dishes for dipping
Bread is the most important thing to mention here. Classically, a baguette is served. Furthermore, you can add all kinds of bread, such as dark bread, farmhouse bread, rolls, pretzels, etc. Cut everything into bite-sized pieces; if you like, you can also toast the pieces a little, which also tastes excellent. For 4 people, about 1 kilo of bread is enough.
Another possibility is various types of vegetables such as mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, leeks, zucchini, spring onions, etc. However, these should be blanched in salted water for 3-5 minutes so that they are not quite as crunchy.
Something completely different is to use al dente cooked tortellini.
If you don't want to be completely without meat, you can use diced, cooked ham, salami, Parma ham, etc. You can also use small meatballs.
It is interesting to try a little fruit for a change. For example, I was very enthusiastic about orange pieces or grapes. But you can also try it with apples, strawberries or pineapple. That brings a little variety.
Additional side dishes
Everyone can season their cheese for themselves. Freshly ground pepper is very important here, so a pepper mill should always be on the table. Furthermore, you can serve paprika, nutmeg or freshly chopped herbs.
Pickled vegetables also go very well with it, such as pearl onions, olives, baby corn, artichoke hearts, gherkins, pepperoni, mushrooms, etc.
Beverages
A true gourmet serves a black tea with a cheese fondue and every now and then a cherry schnapps or a fruit schnapps. But a dry wine or a hearty beer also goes very well with it.
Tips for mishaps
Cheese fondue is too firm
To loosen your Cheese fondue you can add a pinch of Baking soda before serving. This also makes the fondue a little more digestible.
Lumps in the cheese fondue
If a few lumps have formed in the cheese fondue, simply add a dash of vinegar and stir several times. This allows the lumps to dissolve nicely.
Stirring prevents burning
The cheese mixture unfortunately tends to settle at the bottom and burn. Therefore, do not let the pot get too hot and stir again and again.
Now nothing stands in the way of a good success and all that remains for me is to wish you a good appetite!
Read also: Meat fondue with oil, fat or broth – here's how it works!
Photos by Janine & Sabine meinhaushalt & Ehm Wines from Waidendorf
Fondue plates, two-pronged forks and colorful fork ends for cheese fondue??? Individual re-peppering?
Cheese fondue is eaten directly from the pot with a three-pronged, long-handled fork. This makes a plate with compartments unnecessary. In Switzerland, matching plates in dessert plate size are always sold with the caquelons. You don't leave the fork in the pot, but you stir well with the bread stuck on it so that the cheese doesn't burn and put the fork directly into your mouth. This also makes the colorful ends (which I have never seen on cheese fondue forks) and the possibility of individual seasoning unnecessary. And I wouldn't want to have to eat with two-pronged forks, because the prongs, which are normally supposed to hold the raw meat on the fork, can sensitively injure the lips.
Thanks for the comment. So I bought my cheese fondue on Amazon, and the forks have 3 prongs (so you can stick the bread on well) and they have colorful ends. Of course, it's a bit pointless because you only have one anyway. And you shouldn't actually eat directly from the fondue fork, precisely because of the sharp prongs, which is why I always add a knife and fork (and additional spices). And I personally also like to use the plates with the compartments for the cheese fondue, because I don't just offer bread with it, but also pickled vegetables, ham and a few sauces. But interesting that dessert plates are offered for it in Switzerland. Probably so that you can hold the plates underneath more easily if pieces drip.