For a moment let’s pretend we are sitting in a ski chalet in France and a pipping bowl of bubbly cheese has arrived at our table. Now recreate that memory at home with Roasted Garlic Cheese Fondue with all the trimmings and a glass of wine in hand.
Compensation was provided by Gallo Family Vineyards via Sunday Supper, LLC. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Gallo Family Vineyards.
I believe there is a story behind each and every recipe. Whether it’s a recipe that has been passed down generation by generation, a dish you lovingly watched by your grandmother’s side at the counter or a meal that was enjoyed at a restaurant. Everything has a tale to go with it, from the simple, to the funny, to the sad.
Which is why I’m loving the stories that we are sharing today with #SundaySupper and Gallo Family. I immediately knew the tale to tell.
I have plenty of memories of cooking together with my family during holidays, summer barbecues and even our annual giant backyard lobster fest but the one that gets repeated over and over is the trip to Switzerland when I was 13 years old.
As much as I wish I could say I was a budding epicurean on that trip, sadly I was not. What an opportunity to taste some of the finest cuisine in the world, as we visited Geneva, Lucerne, Zermat and Provence in France. Yet I, miss picky mostly refused. What was I thinking? I suppose it was the angsty budding teenager in me, who only wanted to eat the things that she knew.
It’s a good thing some of those things involved cheese.
Oh my the cheese.
Jetlagged and exhausted from our flight, my Aunt and Uncle (whom we were visiting), insisted we stay awake and clearly the best way to do that was to feed us. What did we eat on that first day in Geneva? The best cheese fondue I ever had. A bubbling pot of gruyere and emmenthaler arrived at our table with chunks of crusty bread to dip. We immediately dug in and all I thought was, I could eat this for the next two weeks.
Truthfully, I came pretty close. Between fondue, and French onion soup a lot of cheese was consumed on that trip.
Today my mom teases me about my refusal to try new foods but we have stories and memories that we still laugh about 20 years later.
These days my fondue pot sits and collects dust, it’s sad but true. I insisted on registering for one when we got married with wild fantasies of having friends over for fondue nights and setting it up to serve chocolate fondue at parties.
Want to know how often that was done?
About once.
So while the fondue served in Switzerland and their neighbor France is still very traditional and authentic, I thought we could at least break that pot out and update it a little bit. The multiple swiss cheeses have been swapped out with French Comte, nutty and creamy tasting and perfectly meltable for fondue. This cheese is paired with sweet roasted garlic and fresh thyme for a fondue that will transport you to the countryside of France or the ski chalets of Switzerland. Let’s of course not forget to pair it with wine because what is cheese without some wine?
May I suggest Gallo Family Chardonnay for the fans of white and Merlot for our red lovers?
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups white wine (such as Gallo Family Chardonnay)
- 1 head roasted garlic, mashed
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 16 ounces comte cheese, grated
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Cubed french bread, salami, apple slices, boiled potatoes, steamed broccoli for dipping
Instructions
- Depending on your fondue pot you can either cook the fondue directly in the pot, over the stove or in another pot and transfer to the fondue pot for serving. These directions are for cooking in a separate pot and transferring to your fondue pot.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat bring the wine to a simmer and add the mashed roasted garlic and thyme leaves pulled from the sprigs.
- In a large bowl, toss the cheese with the cornstarch and add it to the saucepan.
- Stir the cheese with the wine until it is completely melted.
- Set up your table with the fondue pot ready to go (make sure there is a heating element to keep your cheese from firming up), and selections for dipping.
- Carefully pour the fondue into the pot and serve immediately.
- If there is any leftover cheese, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerator. Warm over a medium-low heat or in your fondue pot before serving again.
Notes
To make the roasted garlic, trip off the top of a head of garlic and place it in a square of aluminum foil. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil on top and bring up the sides to create a packet. Roast in a 370 degree oven for one hour to one hour and 15 minutes or until the garlic is soft and caramelized.
Squeeze the garlic cloves into a bowl to get them out of their skins and mash.
For more wonderful recipes with meaning check out the list below and Gallo Family’s blog post. You can also visit Gallo on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. Make sure to check out their store locator too in order to find a location near you to purchase your favorite bottle.
Savory Recipes:
- Baked Cavatini by Magnolia Days
- Italian Noodle Casserole by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
- German Beef Rouladen by Kudos Kitchen by Renee
- Gnocchi with Butternut Squash and Spinach by Ruffles & Truffles
- Lasagna Rolls by Casa de Crews
- Lemon Risotto by The Messy Baker
- New Orleans Red Beans and Rice Soup by The Weekend Gourmet
- Pan Seared Ribeye with Homemade Compound Butter by Big Bear’s Wife
- Portuguese Steak & Eggs – bife com ovo a cavalo by Family Foodie
- Roasted Garlic Cheese Fondue by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
- Reuben Mac and Cheese by Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
- Spicy Pesto Shrimp Primavera by Flavor Mosaic
- Spinach Artichoke Pizza by Life Tastes Good
- Spinach Rice Casserole by Shockingly Delicious
- White Bean Chili with Cheddar Biscuits by Feed Me, Seymour
Sweet Recipes:
- Boston Cream Pie by Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch
- Chocolate Pavlova by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Grandma’s Lemon Bars by Alida’s Kitchen
- Mom’s Apple Crisp by Peanut Butter and Peppers
- Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Curd Filling and Lemon Buttercream by The Redhead Baker
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Fondue is such fun and so tasty too. What a wonderful memory and story you have with it too.
What a great memory! And I mean, can you ever go wrong with fondue?!
What a spectacular fondue! Your story reminds me of taking our family to Ireland—we had to select Irish pubs that served chicken fingers so my children wouldn’t starve! Crazy!!!
This fondue looks fabulous — who can resist a vat of melted cheese paired with wine? Not me!!
I can not tell you how much I love this! My kind of meal.
Garlic and cheese, and wine, OH MY! What a wonderful dish. Fondue is so much fun to make and eat, I should definitely have it more often! Thanks for a wonderful recipe, Susan! I need to make this very soon!
Yum! I love fondue, but I have never made it at home! Your recipe looks amazing!
This is a great post. I wasn’t exactly in ski country but when I was in Strausburg France I had lunch at a “cheese restaurant” and the fondue’s were lovely. And I love your selection of salami for dipping.
Ugh. I want this so much!! I also need May to come so that I can indulge once again in food that won’t make me feel like I wouldn’t be able to get in my dress in 5 weeks. Ha! It’s going to be a carb-fest.
You’re in trouble! You put it out there… garlic+cheese fondu and Chardonnay! I’m coming to visit! YUM!
And entire vacation filled with cheese – I don’t think you missed much 🙂
I’m completely salivating over your roasted garlic cheese fondue. I also chuckled when you wrote about your travels and your limited palate desires when you were a teenager. You’re so lucky to have traveled like you have. Too bad you were’nt more adverterious with your taste buds.
I would have been just as picky at that age, so I would have missed out too. But I am with you about cheese! I could seriously dive head first into this fondue OhhEmmGeeee!!
What a wonderful trip! I can only imagine! Any cheesy goodness you can count me in!
Oh my, cheeseeeee<3 I was the pickiest eater as a kid too, good thing we've all grown out of that phase!
May I observe how deeply ironic it is that a picky teenager who didn’t want to try new food turned into an adventurous food blogger? 🙂
hahaha, yep. I have a few cheese and meat platter sets that are sadly collecting dust. I definitely got a little trigger happy during registering. I love fondue. It is a highly underrated app!
I have a fondue pot (wedding gift, 7 years ago!) but it has sadly never been used. I am inspired! Your recipe sounds so simple and delicious…I am beyond excited to make it!
that trip to Switzerland sounds fantastic!!!! And ohhh my this fondue is insane-I am a lady who enjoys her roasted garlic anything and cheese and dipping bread in…mmmmmmmmmm
I love this fondue. Your recipe looks easy and delicious!