Dutch Cheese Fondue
The swiss think they invented Cheese Fondue – and maybe this is true – but the best Fondue in the world is made with Dutch Cheeses 🧀 🧀.
Even though foreigners like to tell us that all hard Dutch cheeses are Gouda (this is how it’s meant to be pronounced) the truth is that Gouda is a city, and cheeses tend to be made on farms. Back in the day Gouda did have a large cheese market, but this is still no reason to just assume that all cheese is Gouda!
(BTW, before you ask, Old Amsterdam cheese is neither old, nor is it from Amsterdam. Marketing works).
The cheese fondue we make here is a favourite of mine. Per adult person, one should take between 150g and 200g of cheese. The recipe below is for 4 people. It’s completely fine to substitute one cheese for another, to adjust the taste a bit, however the more young cheese you have the easier it will be to melt the cheeses correctly.
BTW if you’re looking for a good place to buy Dutch Cheese in Gdansk, go to Deska Serów in Garnizon.
Although the recipe contains wine, any alcohol will evaporate.
Ingredients:
- 400g young Dutch farmers cheese
- 200g belegen (semi-old) cheese
- 200g young Truffle cheese
- 200ml dry white wine (buy more for a nice pairing)
- 1 head of garlic (or more to taste)
- Corn starch or potato starch
- Things to dip (bread, vegetables, fruits, go crazy!)
Materials:
- Large pan
- spoon for stirring
- a cheese fondue pan that can be heated slowly on the table
Instructions: - Grate the cheese (the smaller the better). - Take a large pan, press about half the garlic into it and smear it onto the sides of the pan. - Add the wine, and put on a fire. - When the wine is about to start boiling, add a handful of cheese. - Stir while the cheese melt, while being careful that the mixture never actually boils. - When the cheese has melted, add more. Keep doing this until all cheese has melted. This step is the most dificult one, if you add the cheese to fast, or the mixture is too hot or too cold, you might end up with a ball of cheese in a pot of wine. - When all cheese is added, check the consistency of the mixture. It may still have a liquidy layer on top, in this case mix a small bit of starch with a bit of water until it’s fully dissolved, then add it to the mixture while stiring. Slowly add more starch in the same way (waiting a couple of minutes after each batch) until the consistency is just right. - Cut or press the rest of the garlic, add it to the serving pan. Now add the cheese-mixture, and serve!
Enjoy!