Categories
Linda's recipes

Swiss Fondue

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 127

Having lived in Switzerland for nearly 13 years, this recipe appeared less “exotic” to us than Linda McCartney suggested in her book. Eating Fondue on New Year’s Eve has something of a tradition in my family. We love to sit around a big table, dipping bread and vegetables into the cheese, telling stories and sharing laughs. Perfect to spend time on the last day of the year. This year, we had Swiss Fondue with my brother and his family. Afterwards we went for a walk through the woods to welcome the New Year and watch the fireworks from a tower on a hill.

Variations: A friend taught me to add 2 tbsp of tomato paste to the fondue. This adds a lovely colour and an interesting twist. The white wine can be replaced (partly or completley) with vegetable stock. The cheese melts better when using wine only, but it works quite well with stock, too.
Swiss friends taught us to add 2 tbsp of Kirsch to the Fondue and to rub the inside of the fondue dish with a clove of garlic. Kirsch is also the traditional drink to go with Fondue in Switzerland.
Using corn or potato starch instead of the flour gives a smoother consistency.

In Switzerland, the land of cheese, there are even restaurant serving nothing else than fondue! My husband invited me to a Fondue Restaurant in St.Gallen for one of our first ever dates. It was hard to choose between traditional fondue, fondue with curry and pineapple and chilli fondue. But to be honest, the version with just cheese and garlic is still my favourite.