Holiday Fondue Dinner

When I was very young, my dad's job took us over to Geneva, Switzerland for two years. I remember a few things from that time period-- some of our travels and random things a toddler would think were cool (like the playground behind our apartment and the trikes at my pre-school), but my parents soaked up quite a bit of the Swiss culture and fell in love with a few traditions that they brought back to the U.S. with us. One of those traditions is Swiss cheese fondue, which we feast on every year for Christmas Eve dinner. This year, I'm celebrating Christmas with J's family, but didn't want to miss out on one of my favorite holiday meals. So we decided, why not share the cheese-y, carb-y love? The result was a delicious pre-Christmas fondue dinner with 3 of our favorite couples from business school.

Fondue, although incredibly rich, is super easy to make. Paired with a big, green salad, copious wine, and some homemade Christmas cookies for dessert, it was an easy dinner party to pull together.

Traditional Swiss Fondue
(Serves 6-8)

2/3 bottle dry white wine

2-3 garlic cloves, sliced

2.5 lbs. good Gruyere cheese, grated

3-4 Tbsp. flour

3 baguettes, sliced

2-3 Tbsp. Kirsch (optional)

Toss the grated cheese with the flour. Pour the wine into a large pot and add the sliced garlic. Simmer the wine with the garlic for 5-10 minutes, but do not let the wine boil. Remove the garlic with a slotted spoon. Add the cheese and flour mixture by handfuls, stirring until each handful is melted before adding another handful. When all the cheese has been melted, you can add 2-3 Tbsp. (approximately 1 shot) of Kirsch if you like. (Kirsch is a cherry brandy from Switzerland or France... it just gives it a little extra kick.)

Serve the fondue on top of a heated fondue stand to keep the cheese warm and gooey, and start dipping those sliced baguettes!

J waiting patiently for the guests to arrive

Getting festive...

And getting ready to chow down... Bon Appetit!