Small Kitchen College » Table for Two: Cheese Fondue

Table for Two: Cheese Fondue

When I think back to my most romantic dinner date, I must say that it was a cheese fondue dinner in Zurich, Switzerland. I was in Switzerland for a brief moment on my way to Italy while my boyfriend at the time was studying in Germany and took a weekend trip to Zurich. We met up for a romantic day strolling through the city and sampling Zurich’s delicious cuisine.

We spent nearly the entire 24 hours walking through small and windy streets, up and down cobble stone hills, and in and out of local museums. By the time the sun was setting, we were tired and it was time to eat!

We found a little entrance to a restaurant tucked behind a hill where a church’s two spires rose above us. We walked down the winding street and entered the restaurant. The first thing I saw on the menu was the house specialty: cheese fondue. I knew we had to order it.

Of course, we did. The sizzling hot pot of bubbly cheese came with a basket of toasted cubes of bread. It was very delicious, and though it was low-key, it was an activity, one to bond over.

You can recreate your own magical night of cheese fondue for you and your loved one (recipe below) or make it a festivity and invite all of your friends for a fondue potluck, as Brynn wrote about recently.

Julie Sophonpanich is a senior at Brown University where she concentrates in History of Art and Architecture. She loves traveling to sample foreign delicious cuisine and see the sights.

**Recipe**

Cheese Fondue White Wine Sauce
Recipe adapted from Le Creuset
Serves 2

Ingredients

For the cheese fondue:
100 grams fontina cheese
100 grams Swiss gruyere cheese
100 grams Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup white wine
2 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper

For the vegetables and sides:
1/2 head broccoli
1/2 head cauliflower
Handful baby carrots
1 baguette

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Cut and prepare the vegetables into bite-size pieces. Steam the vegetables on medium heat for 5 minutes. If you don’t have a steamer, you can create your own! Simply place a heat-safe bowl upside down in a pot with shallow water, place a plate on top of the bowl, cover the lid, and voila, you have a steamer.

Once the vegetables are steamed, set them aside to cool.

Cut the baguette into bite-size cubes and spread them out onto a baking tray. Then place the tray into the oven for 5-8 minutes (or until the corners of the bread turns golden brown). Watch them so they don’t burn.

Heat a pan on the stove on low-medium heat. Mince the garlic and place it into the pan. Cut the cheeses into small cubes and place it into the pan with the minced garlic. Add white wine. Stir well.

Take the pan off the heat once the fondue foams up.

Pour the fondue into a ceramic serving dish or a fondue pot and serve with vegetables and bread on the side Use skewers to dip ‘em into the cheese.

The best part? You can accompany your cheese fondue with the left over white wine!