Swiss Fondue is one of my favorite things to serve over the holidays. One year when my sister and I were young, my family visited friends in Bavaria at Christmas time. The woman who hosted us was German and she made Swiss fondue and shrimp cocktail. That combination has been my go-to ever since. Making Swiss fondue from scratch is quite a bit of work. I prefer a good quality store packaged fondue mix. It is simple to make, and it tastes just as good as homemade. If your local grocery stores does not have it in the cheese department, you can also order it online. Look for the classic ingredients that have two cheeses including Emmentaler and Gruyere. My recipe is for dinner, but you can serve it as an appetizer. I have catered this as a small plate food paring for wine tastings at local wine shops. No matter what, you need to keep stirring the fondue while it is consumed to keep the creamy consistency. Serves 3-4 as a meal and 12 as an appetizer.
Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes and spread out on a board for a couple hours to dry out until crusty. You can also spread them out on a baking sheet pan, if you have less time, and dry them out in a 300-degree F oven for 10-15 minutes. (Note: you want the bread to be crusty or the fondue will not stick correctly.)
Remove the packages of fondue from the boxes. Cut the tops of the packages.
From the bottom of the packages, squeeze the fondue into the pot. Sprinkle with nutmeg (this is optional). Set the heat high at first. For the electric fondue pot use the setting 6 (where 8 is the maximum). For a slow cooker use high.
Using a wooden spoon, break down the fondue into small chunks. Stir at this temperature until the cheese mixture is smooth and creamy.
Reduce the heat to 4 for the electric pot or low for the slow cooker. Continue to stir in a figure eight or clockwise (this is a Swiss tradition).
Place the lettuce pieces in a salad bowl and toss with the vinaigrette. Place the bread cubes in a bowl. At the dinner table, move over the fondue, wooden spoon on a holder, bread cubes and salad.
Ingredients
Directions
Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes and spread out on a board for a couple hours to dry out until crusty. You can also spread them out on a baking sheet pan, if you have less time, and dry them out in a 300-degree F oven for 10-15 minutes. (Note: you want the bread to be crusty or the fondue will not stick correctly.)
Remove the packages of fondue from the boxes. Cut the tops of the packages.
From the bottom of the packages, squeeze the fondue into the pot. Sprinkle with nutmeg (this is optional). Set the heat high at first. For the electric fondue pot use the setting 6 (where 8 is the maximum). For a slow cooker use high.
Using a wooden spoon, break down the fondue into small chunks. Stir at this temperature until the cheese mixture is smooth and creamy.
Reduce the heat to 4 for the electric pot or low for the slow cooker. Continue to stir in a figure eight or clockwise (this is a Swiss tradition).
Place the lettuce pieces in a salad bowl and toss with the vinaigrette. Place the bread cubes in a bowl. At the dinner table, move over the fondue, wooden spoon on a holder, bread cubes and salad.