Aussie Alps Cheese Fondue
Updated: Feb 1, 2022
How I managed to reproduce a traditional Swiss Fondue dish in the Snowys of Australia.
Even though it means melted, “fondue” is more than melted cheese. It is an old mountain cheese dish that originates from the Swiss and French Alps. Fondue is mainly made with a combination of alpine eye cheese mixed with white wine. The concept of the fondue feast was popularised in North America in the 50’s. I was very young when introduced to this and I probably fell into the pot because I just love cheeses. As there are no commercial fondue mixes available downunder, I had to learn to make a fondue from scratch. That involved a little bit of a research that I am glad to know about now because it is easy to make and so much better than any commercial mix! The tricky part is finding the right cheeses. So far, I have only made it with some of the European ones I could buy locally. Gruyère is the best essential cheese for Swiss fondue and I recently found that some are made in Tasmania. Emmental, Comté, Masdaam and Jalsberg are also fondue suitable and available in Australia. We live in a cool climate zone rich in agriculture but sadly not much of a cheese-making region (this would be the dream, local mountain cheese, wouldn’t it?). The good news is that the other major ingredient for cheese fondue is locally cultivated and accessible where we live in Tumbarumba: high altitude white wines! Cheese fondue is traditionally served as dinner feast in a fondue pot over a tea light candle but everything can be re-invented. You can make a cocktail or small version if you don’t have the fondue set by preparing the mix in a non-stick pot and pour half the recipe in a bowl. The mix will get hard when it cools down so it’s better to taste it soon as it’s made. You can save the rest for a leftover meal. While eating cheese fondue, it is recommended to avoid drinking cold water and have hot tea or wine for better digestion. Not sure if that is a myth but I find it’s better not to take any chances and just enjoy the rest of that bottle of wine!
LOCAL PRODUCE FEATURES: A good high altitude dry white wine will be best to melt the cheese into a creamy texture. The varieties of Rieslings cultivated in cool climate regions, especially from New Zealand and Australia, are distinctly crisp and will make your cheese fondue a great success. As local wine, I suggested in this recipe and photography the fabulous Johansen Wines Riesling. To order, go to johansenwines.com.au!
RECIPE
This recipe is available to purchase as a card at our local points of sale, or by enquiry.
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