The history of fondue is easy to guess, although (until the time machine is invented), no one can tell you for sure whether your guess is correct. However, versions of the origin of this dish follow the most logical path – either shepherds or peasants invented fondue. The former could melt cheese in a pot on the pasture, because this was the only way to prepare hot food from what was available, while the latter, supposedly, simply melted all the “overlapping” crusts and leftovers of cheese in order to save money.

Such an ordinary and unassuming story of origin does not diminish the merits of fondue in the least, because great and wonderful discoveries often arise by chance and give rise to their everyday circumstances, but sooner or later everything worthy finds its recognition.

This is exactly what happened with the hot, aromatic cheese mass – it rose to the top of fame, conquering at least two continents, and even after the “peak of fashion” it remained in the role of a solid, refined, expensive pleasure.

Types of cheese and their classification

By choosing several options for cheese, you can prepare a delicious dish in which it will be convenient to dip bread. Nowadays, there are a huge number of varieties that differ in price, taste, viscosity and melting time.

Emmental

Emmental is a common Swiss hard cheese. It tastes like an almond flavor. It is quite simple to choose it: it has large holes, and also has a dense brown crust.

This variety is the most popular for making fondue, as it melts quickly, has an excellent taste and aroma. Today, along with Guyère (another common variety), the dish is considered the most popular.

You can find this species in any store. It is also impossible not to notice that it goes well with red wine and fruit – but what else is needed for a delicious and unforgettable dinner?

Gruyere

As you know, the best cheese is produced in Switzerland on the Alpine meadows. This variety also comes from there. It first appeared on the shelves in 1115, so today it is the most famous variety for making fondue.

The melting temperature of this type requires a small one. And if you mix it with any unleavened cheese, the appetizer will turn out to be more stretching and tasty.

Gruyere is endowed with an uneasy taste: at first it is slightly fruity, and then smoothly pours into nutty. This variety contains many useful substances that are important to our body: mineral salts, fats, vitamins, and so on. Therefore, if you decide to cook cheese fondue with it, be sure that the dish will turn out to be not only tasty, but also very healthy.
Most often, this variety is used for those recipes that require processed cheese: casseroles, hot sandwiches, cheese fondue, soufflé, and so on.

Bri

This variety goes well with all types of cheese, so it can be safely used for making fondue. In addition, it is easy to dip in many of the products that are included in the recipe.

If you are thinking about which cheese to choose for cooking, we advise you to pay attention to Brie, as it is endowed with excellent taste, pleasant aroma and richness.

It is impossible not to notice that the entire flavor of this variety is revealed only at room temperature, so this type is best suited for making fondue. Modern Brie is covered with a thin layer of mildew, reminiscent of velvet in color. Under it is a fluid mass that has a nutty flavor.
This cheese goes well with dry white wine, hot dishes, fruits and champagne.

Russian

This cheese can be found on the counter of any store. Its main feature is to add sophistication and excellent taste to hot dishes. This variety melts quickly enough. It is also important to note that it can only be combined with salty types of cheese to emphasize the full flavor of the fondue.

Usually this variety is served with pasta, hot sandwiches and pizza. Most often it is combined with Amber, Don Blue and Favita.

Edam

Edam is an equally common cheese for making fondue. This variety is native to Holland, so it is endowed with bright flavors reminiscent of hazelnuts.

The melting point of this species is considerable, but it has an extraordinary taste that goes well with the modern method of making fondue.

Selection of ingredients

The classic cheese fondue consists of cheese varieties that melt easily when heated in white wine. One variety does not reveal the taste of the dish, it is advisable to combine several varieties. Experts recommend combining wine with cheese, delivered from the same locality.

The aroma of the dish is given by a glass of cherry or cherry kirsch. The alcoholic drink was previously considered a remedy, later it was found to be a good combination with other ingredients. Vodka helps to melt unripe cheese, adds piquancy to the dish. To make fondue at home, it is allowed to add gin or champagne instead of kirsch. It is recommended to thicken the boiling liquid with starch or flour, preventing the formation of lumps.

Pounded garlic and spices (nutmeg, pepper, paprika or curry) add spice to the fondue. In addition to toasted slices of bread, dipped in a viscous mass, any ingredients that are in harmony with cheese:

mushrooms;
sausages or boiled pork;
turkey or chicken;
boiled seafood;
smoked fish;
raw or steamed vegetables.

Before serving, it is enough to pour boiling water over the vegetables to preserve the crunch. After cooking, cauliflower is doused in paprika, and a little vinegar is added to the cooking water.

The choice of food depends on the liquid used as the basis for the fondue. Instead of an alcoholic beverage, butter, strong broth, or chocolate with cream are often used.

Cheese

According to the classic Swiss recipe, Emmental or Maasdam cheese is mixed in equal proportions with gourmet Gruyère to add a nutty flavor. A mixture of grated cheeses is melted in white wine and kirche, a pinch of nutmeg is added. An excellent choice would be cheese for fondue varieties: Vacheran, Raclette, Sbrinz, Appenzeller, Tilsilter. If you are afraid of the high cost of Swiss products, it is recommended to mix cheap Russian and Dutch cheeses, or choose a ready-made mixture for fondue in the store.

Cheese assortment tips:

Cheeses that are springy with a soft consistency will best reveal the taste of the dish. Do not use varieties that form a lot of crumbs when cutting. Too hard cheese like Parmesan is not used for the dish.
It is recommended to choose cheeses with a high fat content and butteriness.
Optimal mixing of one old cheese for spiciness with two young cheeses for creamy notes of freshness.
To begin with, experiment with small pieces of cheese to determine the best ratio for yourself.
After heating and mixing, the product changes its taste, so it is worth spending enough time in the kitchen for your recipe.

The molten mass should have a uniform density, not delaminate when heated. A few pinches of spices will transform the fondue, adding the desired sharpness and smell.

Wine

To prepare a Swiss dish, you should purchase a bottle of dry white wine, sparkling champagne is allowed. The drink should have a characteristic sour taste, necessary to dissolve the cheese mass. An insufficient amount of acid in the wine will cause the food to flake or curl. The drink is chosen from the most acidic so that it is possible to break down the protein compounds of the cheese. To obtain a homogeneous consistency, specialists flavored the dish with lemon juice.

Alcohol should not be in excess, a light aroma is enough. Wine is successfully replaced with beer or apple cider, but at the end of the process it is worth splashing fruit wine like kirsch into the container. Prepare another bottle of light wine to serve with the fondue. The soft taste of the drink will balance the fat content of the melted cheese and will give you a holiday mood.

It is better to offer children a delicacy – fondue without wine. The taste will be completely different, but no less interesting. For wine-free cheese fondue, melt the ingredients in milk, grape or apple juice.

Dry white wine is suitable for making fondue.

Bread

The traditional hot dish is eaten with lightly dried white bread, cut into cubes or portioned squares. Connoisseurs try cheese fondue with black or white bread, pita bread, rolls or bagels. Chip crackers are also a good option, eaten on their own, or with slices of ham.

Fondue involves the use of yesterday’s French baguette, pieces of which are lightly fried over a fire. The atmosphere will take the participants of the meal to the historical homeland of the dish.

Subtleties of choice:

The crust on the bread gives a special piquancy, which allows you to enjoy the taste of melted salty cheese.
Better to use yesterday’s bread. Cubes from fresh baked goods are less saturated with a tasty mixture, often falling into a pot of hot fondue.
Bread is advised to grill a little, simmer in butter or make toast.
To enhance the taste, a skewer with a toasted piece of baguette is first dipped in a cherry kirsch, and then dipped in a fragrant boiling mixture of cheeses.

It is a mistake to choose bread with different inclusions like seeds or nuts. Not all participants in the feast will like black bread, which violates the uniform color scheme of cheese fondue. It is also not recommended to serve different types of croutons, the pieces should only be slightly dried to express the taste.

Classic cheese fondue

In our country, fondue is often confused with a chocolate fountain, although the latter is just one of its variants, and it is rather arbitrary, because classic and chocolate fondue are similar only in general terms.

Real Swiss fondue (the one that was born on beautiful old pastures, if you remember) is by no means intended for a sweet table – this is an original hot sauce for appetizers and meat. However, this definition is also not entirely correct, because not only what can be attributed to appetizers, but also ordinary bread is often dipped into melted cheese, turning it into a hot sandwich on a fork.

So, to get around the difficulties of defining the role of cheese fondue on the table, let’s just call it a dish – the national dish of Switzerland, which serves as its hallmark.

Other fondue options

The next close relatives of cheese fondue are similar in idea to it – a saucepan with a liquid mass is served on the table for general use.

Chocolate fondue

Like cheese, fondue chocolate is melted and served in a caquelone (or other heat-resistant dish), and in the process, cream, alcohol, fruit juices, and spices are added to it.
A separate variety of this treat is the chocolate fountain – in fact, the same chocolate fondue, but with several differences:
1 – served not in a pot, but on a special device consisting of several cascades through which molten chocolate circulates;
2 – no other products are added to the chocolate for the fountain;
3 – special chocolate is used, with a high content of cocoa butter for good melting.

Basic recipe

cream – 300 ml
chocolate – 150 g
cognac, brandy or rum – 20 ml

First, the cream is heated in the caquelon, grated or chopped into small pieces chocolate is placed in it and the mass is brought to a liquid homogeneous state. The pot of finished fondue is transferred to the burner (can be cooked initially on the burner) and kept melted, but not too hot. The cognac is added before serving.

Chocolate fondue with pepper

The added spices reveal the flavor of the cocoa more fully. This savory and spicy option is especially well suited for a cold winter or autumn evening. Reduce the amount of pepper if desired.

Ingredients:

cream (any fat content) – 100 ml;
dark chocolate – 1 bar (90-100) g;
cinnamon – 1/2 tsp;
ground chili pepper – from ¼ to ½ tsp. (taste).

Step by step cooking:

Break the chocolate and put it in a saucepan.
Put on a low heat, pour in the cream and heat, stirring occasionally.
When all the chocolate has melted, add spices and stir. To regulate the spiciness, it is best to add the chili gradually the first time.
Pour into a fondue pot and place it over a lighted candle.

Chocolate fondue with cognac

Such a noble drink as cognac will ideally emphasize the taste of chocolate. If you want to add a brighter flavor note, you can use liqueur instead of brandy. Suitable for both fruity and creamy, for example, “Baileys”.

Ingredients:

bitter chocolate – 1 bar;
cream – 50 ml;
cognac – 20 ml.

Preparation:

Break the tiles into wedges and put them in a saucepan.
Keep on low heat, stirring occasionally.
When almost all the pieces are dissolved, pour in the cream and stir until the mixture becomes smooth.
Pour the mixture into a bowl of fondue and add brandy there.
Dip the prepared fruit slices into the prepared mass.

Condensed milk fondue

By adding condensed milk, this option turns out to be sweeter than usual. It will be appreciated by those with a sweet tooth and children.

You will need:

cream – 50 ml;
dark chocolate (it is better not to take milk chocolate, it will be too sweet) – 200 g;
whole condensed milk – 40 ml.

Preparation:

Melt finely chopped chocolate with cream.
Pour in condensed milk and mix.
When the mixture is smooth, pour it into a container of fondue.

Coffee fondue

This recipe uses natural, freshly brewed coffee. Strain it to get rid of any lumps of coffee beans.

Ingredients:

milk 2.5% fat – ½ tbsp.;
cream – ½ tbsp.;
dark chocolate – 1 bar;
potato starch – 1 tsp;
butter – 2 tbsp. l .;
freshly ground natural coffee – 2 tsp;
cinnamon – 1 tsp

Preparation:

Pour coffee into a Turk, pour milk, bring to a boil over low heat and remove immediately.
Combine cream, chocolate wedges, butter and starch in a saucepan. Heat slowly until the mixture thickens.
Add cinnamon, pour in coffee and stir well until smooth.
Pour into a fondue bowl.

White Chocolate Fondue

This type of chocolate is quite moody. You can melt it only in a water bath. In order to make it, you need to put another, smaller one in a saucepan with boiling water.

Ingredients:

cream – 60 ml;
white chocolate – 90 g;
butter – 15 g.

Preparation:

Place a saucepan or bowl of cream in a water bath.
While they are heating up, divide the chocolate bar into squares. Add to cream.
Stir until the mixture acquires a homogeneous consistency.
Add oil, stir well and pour into fondue.

What is required

Cheese

Delicious cheese: how to choose fresh and store it correctly

Classic Swiss fondue is made from two types of cheese: Gruyere and Emmental, taken in equal proportions. This is the best combination, the cheeses perfectly complement each other in taste. In our stores, these two varieties are quite accessible: there is always a place where there is a large selection of cheese, in chain hypermarkets – for sure.

If, nevertheless, you did not have exactly these cheeses, then you can take any cheese or even several, the main thing is that you like the taste of the selected varieties. “But this will no longer be a classic dish of Swiss shepherds,” warns Alexander Loktionov.

Wine

White dry. It is best to take the wine from the region from which the cheese originated. Therefore, in our case, French is suitable.

Passerivka

It is sold and finished. But you can do it yourself. To do this, take a tablespoon of butter, heat it in a pan and add 2 tablespoons to the butter. flour. Fry, then gradually add flour to make fatty large crumbs. This mixture is used for tightening sauces, it is also suitable for fondue, so that the cheese mass is not too runny.

Strong alcohol

The classic version uses 30 ml of cherry kirsch, a colorless cherry distillate, with a strength of about 40 degrees. “But you can do without strong alcohol at all – it will be even tastier,” assures Alexander.

Special utensils

Fondyushnitsa: all the subtleties of choice

You can’t do without it. It is called Kakelon and is not uncommon and can be found in shops with a good selection of cookware or in major hardware stores.

Replacing it is difficult, since it is important that the fondue container is heated all the time. A burner is located under it. Kakelon can be with a ceramic bowl or cast iron. The second option is more practical – since in such a dish you can also cook meat fondue in broth.

The fondue set includes forks for dipping toppings in cheese and a burner. Sometimes a burner gel or dry tablets are included, but more often you will need to buy them separately.

What to dunk

Classic – dried small pieces of bread. They are dried so that it is more convenient to prick them on forks and dip them in cheese – in this form, they will not fall off the fork. And it turns out tastier with crunchy bread.

In addition, you can dip whatever you like in cheese. Seafood, shrimps and mussels are delicious. A variety of smoked meats are excellent. Vegetables cut into cubes, small baked champignons, tiny potato tubers just perfectly act as a filling for fondue.

Ingredients for cheese fondue

Servings: 2

200 g gruyere cheese

200 g emmental cheese

200 ml dry white wine

30 ml of cherry kirsch

2-3 cloves of garlic

1 tbsp butter

3-4 tablespoons flour

Nutmeg

Pepper

Salt

Portions

It is rather difficult to say exactly how much cheese you need to take per serving. Since the dish is for the company. And also for a long evening. Therefore, 2 servings is conditional. If you sit up late, you will have to add cheese mass to the dishes.

What to do

First you need to take a saucepan with a thick bottom and walls in order to cook the cheese mass in it. Since it is inconvenient to do this in a caquelon, so we melt the cheese on the stove.

The cheese must be grated on a coarse grater. Add wine. Crush the garlic cloves and toss over the cheese too. Season with salt and pepper, add nutmeg, pour in kirsch and add flour puff.

“It is better to salt the fondue,” says Alexander, “although the cheese is salty, but the wine gives acid, so the salt will not be enough.”

Put on medium heat and stir. Constantly, otherwise it will burn. The cheese is not heated for long. After the cheese mass has become liquid, it must be kept on fire for another 5-7 minutes. Stirring all the time, reaching with a whisk to the bottom and walking along the walls. So, mix the fondue and add flour sautéing. Gradually. The cheese should thicken a little and linger a little on the whisk when we remove it from the pan.

Once the sauce has thickened, remove the pot of fondue from the heat. Slice a clove of garlic lengthwise and rub it into a cast iron fondue container. This is to prevent the fondue from burning. And toss a pinch of salt to the bottom – for the same purpose.

Then we pour the cheese mass into the fondyushnitsa and carry it to the table, where there is already a lighted burner, plates with filling are placed, and guests are sitting next to them, waiting.

As it is

A piece of bread or shrimp is pricked onto a fork, dipped in cheese, and you need to try to reach the very bottom. This way the cheese is mixed and does not burn.

Then you need to slowly twist with a fork so that the cheese “wraps” on a piece of bread. And – carry it to your mouth. But since the cheese is very hot, you can’t put it in your mouth right away, it will burn it. To prevent the cheese from dripping and the guests to feel more comfortable, a small plate is placed for everyone, especially for insurance against drops. It should be kept under a slice of bread in the cheese while you carry the fork from the cakelon to your mouth.

Guests take turns dipping their stuffed forks in the cheese. Thus, the process of eating fondue does not stop, the cheese mass is constantly stirred over the fire and does not burn.

By the way, usually the strength of the fire under the caquelon is regulated. It is best to put it on medium heat for a start. But you may need to add or subtract a little more, here it is important to maintain a balance: the fondue should not cool, but at the same time it should not burn.

Sources used and useful links on the topic: https://volshebnaya-eda.ru/kulinarnyj-klass/kak-prigotovit/fondyu/ https://disertiki.ru/chizkeyk/pravilnyy-vybor-syra-dlya-fondyu.html https: //posuda-gid.ru/vidy/185-syrnoe-fondyu https://chocosite.ru/shokoladnoe-fondu/ https://aif.ru/food/master/syrnoe_fondyu_sekrety_prigotovleniya_blyuda_shveycarskih_pastuhov

Post source: lastici.ru