Hello hungry people! I am very excited to share my recipe for Swiss cheese fondue. Instead of using white wine, I used a less common alternative which is apple juice, as I find it taste wise a better match. I have been using apple juice in my cheese fondue, even before I eliminated alcohol from my diet, and would recommend everyone to try it out!
Scroll down for the full recipe or swipe through the pictures to take a peek into my kitchen.
For this fondue, I used a mix of Gruyère and Emmentaler cheeses. In the past I swapped the Emmental for young matured Gouda, which works as well, but I still prefer the Emmentaler cheese.
While some recipes use raw vegetables for dipping, I prefer to cook or fry mine to bring out more flavour. The carved mushrooms are completely optional, but I was inspired by a TikTok video I saw a while ago, where a chef demonstrated this technique. As you can assume; it doesn’t change the flavour, but it adds a nice touch to the presentation.
I wanted to create a charcuterie platter filled with vegetables for this cheese fondue night, so everyone could pick and dip their favourite veggies. I placed the fondue pot in the center of the table and made sure to put a small plate to the side so that everyone, including the person sitting at the head of the table, could reach it easily.
Here is the recipe for you!
Swiss Cheese Fondue with Apple Juice
Adjust servings here:
Equipment
- fondue pan or use cooking pot
- fondue forks or skewers
- chopping board or platter
- cooking pot for vegetables
- oven & oven tray
- cheese grater
- brush or kitchen cloth
- colander optional
Ingredients
CHEESE SAUCE
- 250 grams Gruyère cheese
- 400 grams Emmenthaler cheese
- 1 clove garlic
- 750 ml apple juice
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- mixed pepper
FONDUE DIPPERS
- 400 grams broccoli
- 350 grams potatoes
- 2 fennel
- 2 eggplant
- 250 grams mushrooms
- 200 grams cornichons
- 2 carrots
- 2 slices bread
- a bit olive oil
- salt & pepper
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika powder
- 1 clove garlic
- water
OPTIONAL
- 200 grams grapes
Instructions
DIPPERS (PART I)
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (or 400°F).
- Wash the vegetables (broccoli, fennel and eggplant). Cut the stem off the broccoli and chop the florets. Remove the stem from the fennel and cut into wedges. Cut the eggplant into wedges.
- Place the vegetables on an oven tray lined with baking paper. Drizzle olive oil over the vegetables and season with salt and pepper. Add to the center of the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the vegetables are golden brown.
- Peel the potatoes and carrots, then add them separate to a pot of water with a bit of salt.
- Boil on low-medium heat for 10-15 minutes.
CHEESE SAUCE (PART I)
- Prepare the cheese sauce; cut a garlic clove in half and rub the bottom of a pan with the garlic.
- Add the apple juice, bay leaves, nutmeg and cayenne pepper. Bring the juice to a simmer and let it cook for 15 minutes.
- Grate the cheese.
DIPPERS (PART II)
- Discard the water from the carrots and potatoes.
- Remove the roasted vegetables from the oven and transfer to a plate.
- Place the potatoes in a colander, shake and toss to roughen the outside.
- Place the potatoes on an oven tray, drizzle with olive oil and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Cut the bread into bite-sized chunks.
- Heat olive oil in a frying pan and toast the bread chunks until crispy. Set aside.
- Use a brush or clean kitchen towel to gently clean the mushrooms. Remove the stems and, if you like, carve a star pattern on top of the mushrooms. Use a flat-bladed knife at a 30-degree angle to create nice cutouts.
- Cut a garlic clove in half. Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic to the oil and infuse for 1-2 minutes. Do not burn the garlic. Discard the garlic after infusing.
- Add the mushrooms to the pan, season with thyme and smoked paprika and fry for 1 ot 2 minutes on each side.
- Add a cup of water to the pan and cover with a lid. Let the mushrooms steam for 2-3 minutes. Be careful not to steam them too long, as they will lose their shape.
- Drain the cornichons and place in a small bowl. Add the bowl to the platter or cutting board.
- Arrange the vegetables, bread croutons and grapes on a large platter.
CHEESE SAUCE (PART II)
- Continue with the cheese sauce. Remove the bay leaves. Add the grated cheese and cornstarch.
- Stir with a whisk or spatula until smooth. The cheese will melt, and the cornstarch will help thicken the sauce. Be careful not to thicken it too much, as it will continue to thicken as it cools. Let the sauce cool for 5 minutes to prevent it from being too hot for dipping.
- Add mixed pepper.
- Transfer the cheese sauce to a fondue pot or another heat source to keep it warm.*
Notes
Hope you like it as much as I do.
Enjoy!
