Is there anything better than cozying up to a cauldron full of hot, bubbling cheese on a cold winter night? Fondue is the genius Swiss invention of melted cheese served with bread, vegetables and accompaniments. Need an interactive, fun meal the whole family will enjoy? Pretend you’re après-ski with this recipe after a day outside enjoying the beautiful winter weather. Fondue comes from the french word “fondre” – to melt. It was invented in Switzerland in the 1930s as a clever way to use up extra cheese and stale bread and remains the national dish to this day. The Swiss produce some of the best cheeses in the world, including Gruyère and Emmentaler (what we associate with Swiss cheese – the kind with holes). 

Creative Swiss marketing teams sent out fondue kits all around the country to increase cheese sales and boost the popularity of the tradition. Fondue gained popularity in the 1960s in the United States after the 1964 New York World Fair. Restaurateurs jumped on the fondue bandwagon, dedicating entire restaurants to this tradition and expounding upon the idea by fondue-ing main entrees in broth or sauces and ending the meal with the ever-popular chocolate fondue.

Treat your family to a holiday meal they won’t forget. It’s surprisingly easy. All you need is some white wine, cheese, and a few foods for dipping. Get creative with the accompaniments like: toasted bread cubes, soft pretzels, apples, broccoli, steamed potatoes, tomatoes, mushrooms, whatever you like. No fondue pot? No problem! Just use a pot (like a Dutch oven) and bring it to the table piping hot with a trivet and reheat mid-meal, if needed. You can use bamboo skewers from the grocery store as makeshift fondue forks. If you’re serving fondue to kids, make sure to cook the fondue an extra five minutes more than the recipe suggests to be sure to cook off any alcohol. You can also substitute chicken broth, non-alcoholic white wine, or half wine/half broth as an alternative. 

Speaking of booze, Kirsch, a German cherry brandy, is often added to traditional fondue. I personally can’t justify buying an entire bottle for 1-2 teaspoons for a recipe, but if that sounds like your kind of thing, add it. You won’t want to skip the lemon juice because you’ll need the acid to break down the cheese. Definitely pull out the box grater and grate your own cheese because pre-grated cheeses often add fillers that can create texture issues. Some recipes call for rubbing the fondue pot with a clove of garlic, but it’s optional. And in my opinion, your taste buds can’t even register that small amount of flavor.

Serve your fondue with some chilled white wine, Kirsch or hot tea as the Swiss do. To keep germs out, make sure those partaking use the long fondue forks for dipping and transferring to their plates instead of eating directly from them. If anyone loses bread cubes or dippers in the fondue pot, come up with a fun penalty, like the Swiss tradition of running out in the snow, kissing the person next to you, or singing a song. For dessert, just melt a package of chocolate chips with a teaspoon of coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl by periodically microwaving and stirring every 30 seconds until smooth. Serve with a platter of cake bites, marshmallows, pretzels, sliced bananas and strawberries, and you’ll be everyone’s favorite at your holiday gathering!

Swiss Fondue (4 Servings)

Ingredients:

2 cups grated Gruyère cheese

2 cups grated Swiss cheese, Emmentaler or Emmental (I used a Boar’s Head Swiss block.) 

1 cup white wine (or broth, non-alcoholic white wine, or a half-and-half mix of broth and wine)

1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar

Black pepper

Pinch of nutmeg

1-2 teaspoons Kirsch (optional)

Instructions:

1. In a saucepan, heat the wine and lemon juice over medium heat until simmering.

2. In a bowl, grate the cheeses and toss with the cornstarch, pepper and nutmeg.

3. Slowly add the cheese to the warm liquid. Stir with a whisk until all is added.

4. Whisk periodically for 5 minutes until most of the wine has evaporated and the cheese sauce is thick. (Cook an additional 5 minutes if serving to kids, adding a splash of stock if it gets too thick.)

5. Transfer cheese sauce to the fondue pot. Serve hot with accompaniments.