How to make the perfect Swiss Cheese Fondue

I am Klemens Iten (a.k.a. Bakeey on Github), an exchange student from ETH Zurich in Switzerland. Without a doubt, a traditional cheese fondue is a staple of Swiss cuisine, so I will tell you how to make one. It’s more than just melted cheese, you see!

Ingredients (will feed 4-6 people)

1 clove of garlic
1 kg of Swiss cheese, preferably a mixture of Emmentaler and Gruyère
500 ml of dry white wine (exact type is highly debatable, but I prefer a typical Swisss Chasselas)
50 ml of brandy, I prefer Kirsch
1 tablespoon of corn starch
some salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste
enough bread for n people, such as sourdough or baguette

Instructions

Cut the garlic clove in half and rub it against the pot, so that the entire pan is covered in garlic (will stop the cheese from sticking to pot!)
Then squeeze the clove of garlic and heat it with the finely chopped (or shaved) cheese and the wine over medium heat in the fondue pot on the stove, stirring constantly, until it becomes a smooth cream.
Then whisk together the corn starch and the brandy, stir into the mixture and bring it to the boil again briefly.
Finally, season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
The pot is now served over a burner. Serve with bread cut into cubes.
Dip the bread into the melted cheese mixture with a fork. This is best enjoyed with a nice, refreshing Swiss white wine (my favorite is Aigle Les Murailles from the Vaud region in Switzerland).

Have a great meal!

Picture from Wikipedia (public domain): A full cheese fondue set in Switzerland. Apart from pieces of bread to dip into the melted cheese, it comes with side servings of kirsch, raw garlic, pickled gherkins and onions, and olives. The mount ain panorama under the plate is that of Diavolezza.

back to index