"CheeseFondue" news and stories

Cheese fondue, the Swiss communal dish of bread dipped in a pot of hot melted cheese, is the ideal antidote to the frosty cold dark winter. Its mere heat, rich taste, and pungent aroma warm up the body, comfort the soul, and awaken the palate. In addition, it's a shared meal that represents the very essence of conviviality. Shared with friends and family members, cheese fondue is the perfect remedy to fight off the "winter blues." And, one of the most exciting parts about making fondue is the creative process involved in selecting the cheeses.

Although most cheese fondue recipes tend to call for Swiss cheeses such as Emmentaler and Gruyère, there's no reason why Americans cannot choose stateside alternatives. In fact, in Switzerland, nearly every canton makes fondue using locally sourced cheeses. So what's an American cook to do when trying to use domestic cheeses in his or her fondue? In order to find out, we talked to two prominent U.S. chefs who specialize in melted cheeses: Ralf Kuettel from New York's Trestle on Tenth and Terrance Brennan, who runs restaurants such as New York's Artisanal and Picholine and Bellevue's Artisanal Brasserie and The Artisanal Table Pizzeria Enoteca, both just outside of Seattle.

Emmental and Gruyère are the usual suspects when choosing cheeses for fondue. Occasionally, people use Appenzeller, Comté, Beaufort, and Tête de Moine. When I make cheese fondue, I like to try cheeses that I've never used before - experiment! Cheeses that work well in a fondue are dense creamy cow's milk Alpine cheeses, like the ones mentioned above.

Some people strongly believe that a fondue should consist of only one cheese. I'm not from that school of thought. In fact, I think it's a good idea to have one cheese be the base from which other cheeses are chosen. For example, if I chose Comté to be the main cheese in my fondue, I might want another cheese, such as Erguel Jurakäse, that has a more spicy flavor. The idea is to melt together a variety of three or 4 cheeses that create a well balanced flavor. In other words, use a larger piece of a more traditional "fondue cheese," like Emmental and Gruyère, and then, add to it.

After the jump, find out 5 suggested full-flavored cheeses you can add to your fondue.