Back to Switzerland

The next day was spent recovering from Oktoberfest, doing laundry and packing for the trip to Paris. I also finished up my mystery set in Venice. No, that wasn't the only research I did for the trip but it was the most fun. On one of my nights in Switzerland we did fondue night. We also met with Gretchen's Zurich women bloggers group which was great fun and involved martinis.

Back to fondue....When I was growing up, one of my best friends had a birthday the day after mine. Mine is January 6th and is coming up fast, in case anyone needs the reminder. Anyway, living in a small town, we had a joint birthday party in which all the girls in my class were invited to attend and sleepover. Our parents took turns hosting. My Mom was taking cake decorating class so every other year we would have an elaborately decorated cake or two...I miss birthday cake. On Christy's year her stepmom would make fondue so I am very sentimental about fondue and was really looking forward to the whole Swiss Fondue experience. (Our other yearly tradition included the class "fight" when two people at the party would get in a fight and everyone else would take sides. Typical party behavior for pre-teen girls.)

The fondue recipe that we followed in Switzerland was not one of the recipes that my friend's stepmom used because the one we used in Switzerland included a whole lot of liquor. In fact, there was some agreement among the three of us that perhaps the measurements were a bit off because I am pretty sure we got a little tipsy from the fondue. We didn't follow this recipe exactly but this is pretty close to the one that we used.

Classic Cheese Fondue

1/2 lb Emnenthaler Cheese (shredded)

1/2 lb Gruyeye (shredded)

1 clove Garlic

2 cups Dry White Wine

3 tbs Kirsch

Rub the inside of the fondue pot with the garlic clove - add clove to pot or disregard

Heat up the White Wine & Lemon Juice - should be hot but do not boil

Reduce heat to low and slowly add cheese while stirring

Slowly add remainder of ingredients while stirring

If fondue is too loose add more cheese

If fondue is too stiff add more wine

To Dip:

Italian Bread (or any crusty bread) cut into bite-sized cubes

Vegetables - Broccoli, Cauliflower, Bell Peppers, etc., Apples