16 Sweet & Savory Fondue Recipes For Every Mood (2024)

FAQs

What type of cheese is best for fondue? ›

The best all-around cheeses for fondue are fontina, Gruyère, and gouda. If you aren't sure what to pick, use even amounts of these three. Together are lush and complex. For classic Swiss cheese fondue (meaning one like what you would find in Switzerland), a mix of traditional, firm mountain-style cheeses is best.

If you still have room for dessert after your fondue, you are probably looking for something light. A delicious sorbet, light ice cream or even a fresh fruit salad are all great options for rounding off the meal. An airy mousse is also not too heavy.

There are three main types: cheese fondue, oil or broth fondue and chocolate fondue. Cheese fondue Mixing a variety of cheeses is best when serving a cheese fondue. Before you start, rub a garlic clove inside the pot for added flavor. Shred all cheeses that will be used to create the fondue before melting it.

Bread is an excellent choice for cheese fondue because it soaks up the warm cheese and creamy flavors, creating a delicious combination. There are so many options to choose from for this classic side, such as French baguettes, sourdough, breadsticks, bagels, croutons or pretzels.

To cut a steak for fondue, cut it into 1/2-inch cubes. The best cuts of beef for fondue include top sirloin, ribeye, and tenderloin. Cut or slice the meat according to personal preference. Some prefer to slice steaks into long strips, while others cube the meat into small pieces.

The cornstarch is yet more insurance to keep the fondue from breaking, coating the proteins and fat and preventing them from coalescing. Some recipes call for a flour-based roux, but I found cornstarch to work very well, producing a fondue without any starchiness.

Served in a pot over a portable stove, this dish can be sweet or savoury. Several foods like bread sticks can be dunked into it and relished. Interestingly, the name 'fondue' has its roots in the French word 'fondre', which translates into 'to melt'.

A mild-flavored sourdough or baguette will work well. You can also use a loaf of dense rye bread, but you may want to cube it instead of tearing it into chunks. Baguettes are the traditional choice for dipping in fondue because they have a mild flavor and crisp crust that's perfect for dipping in creamy, melted cheese.

Bread is the most popular dipper for cheese fondue. There are many excellent options to choose from. French bread, breadsticks, and croutons are always favorites, but also consider multigrain bread, rye, sourdough, pumpernickel, and even bagels.

Fondue Jurassienne is made with Comté cheese only, but the Comté can be both hard and mature or mild. Fondue Auvergnate uses three types of cheese, all locally popular varieties: hard cheese Cantal, soft Saint-Nectaire, and blue Fourme d'Ambert. Fondue Savoyarde is the most common, with the least rigid recipe.

Is fondue better with oil or broth? ›

This German meat fondue (or fleischfondue) is cooked in hot broth instead of hot oil, which is delicious and lower in fat, which many people prefer. Because broth boils at 212 F/100 C, the meat will take longer to cook, but that only enhances the party experience.

Fondue rules

You must not double dip, and never put your fork directly into your mouth. You can grab it off with just your teeth, but the best way is to slide it onto your plate and use a regular fork to eat it.

Raw or roasted vegetables: brussels sprouts, cherry tomatoes, red bell pepper slices, celery sticks, roasted potato wedges, roasted sweet potatoes, parsnips or roasted mushrooms.

The recommended non-alcoholic beverage is hot tea. Many Swiss believe, and indeed insist, that it is crucial to avoid drinking cold beverages with fondue, as they are thought to cause the cheese to coagulate in the stomach and potentially cause very uncomfortable digestive distress.

Mozzarella, he adds, “melts beautifully and produces those extraordinary stretches because it's at that pH sweet spot of about 5.2”. Then there's the age of the cheese to consider.

Emmental. For another smooth, semi-hard Swiss cheese, Emmental is a great choice. In fact, it's often used with Gruyère when making fondue, so you know it will have a similar melting power.