S is for Swiss Cheeses

S is for Swiss Cheeses

Gruyère

Emmental

Real Swiss Cheese is very different from the generic cheese sold in North America as Swiss Cheese. One of the best known is Gruyère which is a hard yellow cheese named after Gruyères in Switzerland, it is at the foot of the pre Alps. Gruyère is sweet but slightly salty, with a flavor that varies widely with age. It is often described as creamy and nutty when young, becoming more assertive, earthy, and complex as it matures. When fully aged (five months to a year) it tends to have small cracks which impart a slightly grainy texture. I have never been to Switzerland, but Matt has and from all the stories I have heard, he pigged out on the local cheeses. Another one is Emmental which is also a yellow cheese but not so hard. Both of them are good cheeses to use for fondue. I have three fondue pots and haven't used them in a while. Not sure why, it is one of my favourite ways of eating.

This looks an excellent recipe but I am not quite sure why they use spreadable cheese too. Seems somewhat odd.


Martha's Cheese Fondue Sauce

This amount of sauce will serve 4 people as the main course. If you only intend to have fondue as

part of a bigger meal, adjust the amounts accordingly.

1 garlic clove
50ml / about 1/4 cup kirsh
2 tsp. cornstarch
400 g / a bit less than 1 lb Gruyère cheese (aged at least 8 to 12 months), shredded
400g / a bit less than 1 l Emmenthaler or Vacherin Fribourgeois cheese, shredded (Please use real Emmenthaler. A generic 'Swiss Cheese' will not do. Note that in Switzerland you can buy bags of pre-shredded mixed cheese called "Moitié-moitié", meaning 'half and half'.)
1 piece of 'spreadable' cheese, e.g. Laughing Cow/La Vache Qui Rit (not the mini-Babybel type, the triangular foil-wrapped soft gooey double-creme type)
3 dl / 1 1/4 US cups of young slightly sour white wine such as Chasselas or Sauvignon Blanc

In Switzerland, only bread is dipped into the cheese. Any kind of bread with a sturdy crust and a fairly robust crumb is good: a decent baguette, any kind of 'artisan' bread. Note all the pieces should be cut so they each have a side with crust.

Rub the inside of the fondue pot with the garlic clove. Discard the garlic. (This optional step adds a little extra flavor to the sauce.)

Dissolve the cornstarch in the kirsch. Set aside.

Put the fondue pot on a medium-heat. Add the wine and cheeses. Heat while stirring, until the cheeses melt. Add the kirsch and keep stirring until the sauce is smooth and bubbly. This takes about 20 minutes.

Now, set up your fondue pot stand and burner and transfer the pot to the stand. The burner flame (or tabletop cooker) should just be hot enough that the sauce stays how and just sort of seething on the surface. Any hotter and the cheese will burn on the bottom.

Take a piece of bread, and spear it firmly on the fork so that the crust is on the outside. You can optionally lightly dip it in kirsch at this stage.
Have a great day