Surprising ingredients, game-changing flavour combinations and original recipes.
Raclette and fondue are among those classic dishes that remain unchanged. The same ingredients, the same side dishes and the same wines to accompany them: every family has its winning combo. But to avoid falling into a culinary routine, nothing beats a little twist from time to time! An original charcuterie, a different cheese or special herbs: Swiss Cheese reveals a few ways to revisit these winter favourites.
1. Changing the cheese
No good fondue or raclette without… good cheese! To prepare these authentic dishes, you must rely on quality ingredients, but you can also vary the pleasures by incorporating some original cheeses. Gourmets swear by the unavoidable Raclette du Valais AOP, but if you want to prepare a raclette that is off the beaten track, without leaving the Swiss soil, you can also use Vacherin Fribourgeois AOP, a particularly creamy cheese, or Appenzeller® for those who like a stronger taste. As far as fondue is concerned, we all know the inevitable Fondue Moitié-Moitié made with Gruyère AOP and Vacherin Fribourgeois AOP – two authentic cheeses that can also be used solo for fondue, but there are a lot of variations depending on the region.
In central Switzerland, for example, fondue is made from Emmentaler PDO, Gruyère PDO Reserve and Sbrinz PDO. In the Valais, fondue also comes in a tomato version and contains Raclette du Valais PDO and Gruyère PDO. In Eastern Switzerland, fondue is served with Appenzeller®, Swiss Tilsiter and a good dose of local cider!
Want to try an original fondue? Try the Valaisan tomato fondue.
2. Vary your charcuterie
A raclette or fondue is not complete without some quality charcuterie! Cooked and raw hams, such as Valais Ham, go well with melted cheeses, as do dried meats such as Grisons meat. For a little Italian touch, try coppa, bresaola or pancetta. For those who don’t eat meat or want to cut down on their consumption, opt for grilled vegetables or fish such as herring, eel or smoked trout.
For a different kind of fondue, try this recipe with 4 Swiss cheeses and a Grisons meat crumble.
3. Choosing original side dishes
For a seasonal raclette and fondue, add some autumn mushrooms! Serve your raclette with fresh button mushrooms, add chanterelles to your cheese preparation or, for more intense notes, add truffles to your fondue. For more freshness, gourmets can combine their raclette or fondue with fermented vegetables, original spices (paprika, saffron or citrus peppers), seasonal vegetables such as pumpkin or aromatic plants like wild garlic or other mountain species. These blend wonderfully with the cheese and give it deliciously surprising vegetal notes.
Just like charcuterie and cheese, bread is one of the essential ingredients of fondue. Choose original breads such as rye bread, sourdough bread or bread with poppy seeds.
Discover this half and half fondue recipe with flowers and aromatic plants from mountain.
4. Serve it with the right drink
Regardless of whether you are eating raclette or fondue, generous cheese dishes are often paired with a light fruity or dry white wine, but there are other combinations that work wonderfully well, such as slightly sour white beers, gueuzes, cider, gin and even a glass of whisky. If you don’t want to drink alcohol, tea and fermented drinks such as kombucha also go very well with cheese. These drinks don’t just accompany fondue, they can also enhance it!
Some additional tips for the perfect fondue
- The fondue is too liquid – try adding a handful of grated cheese. If that doesn’t help, quickly turn up the flame and add cornstarch diluted in a little wine or kirsch to your fondue.
- The fondue is too thick – Increase the power of the flame and add a little white wine to the fondue while stirring vigorously.
- The fondue separates – In this case, the pan must return to the cooking plate. Add a teaspoon of cornstarch diluted with a little white wine and lemon juice and bring the fondue to a brief boil, stirring vigorously.
- Are the children joining in the meal? – Simply omit the alcohol from the mixture and replace it with alcohol-free cider.
