Cheese Fondue

As we reviewed some pictures of our trips to Central Europe, we enjoyed looking at pictures of the Alps and the surrounding areas.  One of the pictures showed the fondue that we ate in France, and my wife asked when we could have cheese fondue for dinner.  I replied that as soon as I could buy some cheese, I would be happy to make fondue.  Later that day we had to run some errands, so we stopped at Costco (our super mega-mart) to purchase our cheese.

As we walked through the store, there were several stands demonstrating different products and offering samples to taste.  We stopped at one and picked up some Jarlsberg cheese that is a variety of Swiss cheese manufactured in Norway.  It had a very soft texture and a mild and pleasant taste that we enjoyed.

We walked to the refrigerated case to get the two cheeses that I needed: Gruyere and Emmenthaler.  We picked up a small brick of the Gruyere, but there was no Emmenthaler or any other Swiss type cheese.  Ah, the Jarlsberg is a Swiss cheese, so we went back and picked up a wedge of the Jarlsberg.

Here is the recipe that I use for making cheese fondue:
   1 small garlic clove, halved
   1 cup dry white wine
   3/4 pound Gruyere cheese
   3/4 pound Emmenthaler (or Jarlsberg) cheese
   1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
   1 tablespoon kirsch wasser (optional)
   kosher salt
   ground black pepper
   A loaf of crusty bread cut into one-inch cubes

1. Rub the cut side of the garlic around the bottom and sides of a medium saucepan.  This supplies all the garlic flavoring needed without overpowering the cheese.  Sometimes I will also run the garlic on the inside of the fondue pot.
2. Remove the skin from the cheese and grate it into a large bowl.  Add the cornstarch to the cheese and toss to mix.
3. Add the wine to the saucepan and bring to a simmer.
4. Slowly add the cheese to the simmering wine, stirring each addition until it is melted.  Once all the cheese is added, stir until all the cheese is melted.
5. Add the kirsh which is a cherry flavored spirit (by itself is pretty nasty tasting) and heat until bubbling which takes one or two minutes.  Season with the salt and pepper
6. Transfer to a fondue pot and keep warm while serving.

This recipe is very easy to make and really wows the guests.  Though the first time I made fondue; I used the recipe that came in the box with our ceramic fondue pot.  This should really be categorized as lesson learned, as I exactly followed the recipe.  It said to place the pot on the stove, add wine and heat and add the cheese until it was melted, so I place the fondue pot on the stove and half way through melting the cheese, it made a loud pop and split in two.  My wife informed me that the directions assumed I knew to use a metal saucepan.  Nope!  So now, we have a new fondue pot that I only heat by placing it over the small burner that came with the set.


While it is possible to dip other items into the cheese such as: steamed broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, celery, apple, salami, kielbasa, etc, we usually just use bread.  We prefer to just use bread.  We really like to use a very dark bread that has a lot of flavor, but it is very difficult to find.

This recipe will easily serve four people as a main course with some raw vegetables on the side.  A little fondue served with a nice dark beer makes for a great evening between friends.

Adventures In Food: Author: Kerry Howell

Traveling – Chamonix, France

On my birthday in 2003, we were in Chamonix France, home of the first winter Olympics in 1924. We started our day with a walnut cake that we had brought with us from Sarlat in the Dordogne region of France. My wife stuck a match in the cake like a candle. She sang happy birthday to me and I quickly blew out the match before it burned down to the cake and then we enjoyed a walnut birthday cake for breakfast.

This is par for the course in Chamonix where we stayed in the Hotel de L’arve, which in spite of the name, was a very nice place to stay. From our room we could step out onto a rooftop patio and look up at Mont Blanc, which is the highest mountain in the Alps.

We rode the two cable cars to the top of the Aiguille Du Midi, a 12602-foot high mountain top weather and tourist station. From here climbers leave to ascend the additional 3000 feet to get to the top of Mont Blanc. We were fortunate to have a clear day and we could look out over the valleys and even over into Italy (which only a couple of miles away).

Lunches when we travel are usually a picnic. We will visit a local store and pick up some meat, cheese, bread, fruit, and a treat and pack it in our daypacks. We always carry plastic utensils and a folding cup that also serves as a bowl. With the food and utensils, we can easily stop along side a trail, stream or even in a park and have a nice relaxed lunch without spending a lot of money.

We had two dinners in Chamonix, the first night was at a restaurant that specializes in crepes. We had a large salad with all kinds of ingredients: bacon, tomato, olives, croutons, and smoked salmon (smoked, but also cooked). We also had galette, stuffed with potato, onion, cheese, and mushrooms.

The next night we ate at one of the local restaurants and had fondue. I love to eat fondue, this was a wonderful cheese fondue that we enjoyed with a nice white wine. (In the future I will write about making fondue at home.)

One thing we saw in a shop window that we didn’t sample were small local sausages that were covered in fat that leached out of the casing (but it looks like mold). I have eaten some interesting things during our travels: pickled herring, foie gras, cold smoked salmon, other smoked meats, and cheeses. Somehow, I have a tendency to avoid small moldy looking lumps of meat. Maybe in the future, I will be more adventurous; after all, that’s what I’m writing about.

Adventures In Food: Author: Kerry Howell